Bercetia stared at the patch of green on the horizon for a long time before finally realizing that it was a continuous expanse of treetops—or, more precisely, the outermost branches of the canopy, pointing high into the sky and forming a trim along the edge of the horizon when viewed from above.
The Silver Empress's eyes widened in astonishment.
"That's the Thorin Giant Tree, a section of the branches spreading from her southern trunk," Gawain said with a smile, noticing Bercetia's gaze and pointing at the Holographic Projection. "We're actually still quite far away—the external monitors magnify distant images, and once we approach the Sorin Region, the aircraft will slow down further."
"It's that huge?!" Bercetia exclaimed. "Beltira... just how large an area does she cover?"
"All of Thorinburg, plus the entirety of what used to be the Sorin Territory. It wasn't originally this large, but during the nearly half year after it emerged from underground, the Thorin Giant Tree went through an extremely rapid period of expansion. It only gradually stopped once the immense natural power within it reached equilibrium. In fact, Beltira says she could grow even more, but she was worried that doing so would have unpredictable effects on the ecological cycles of other parts of the Holy Spirit Plain, so she stopped at this stage."
"...I saw descriptions of the Thorin Giant Tree in reports sent from the north, but it seems written intelligence was still far too conservative compared to the real thing," Bercetia said, drawing a quiet breath and shaking her head with a sigh. "I really can't imagine... what kind of immense power of nature could give rise to such a miracle."
"The End of All Things Cultists once replicated a 'god.' It was incomplete, but it truly was created with genuine divine