As the winds sweeping over the plains gradually turned cooler and the sweltering heat began to fade from the river valleys and hills of the continent's south, tawny fallen leaves blanketed the land. From the Homeward Bound Long Bridge in the north to the lush jungles of the Elven Empire, a crisp and pleasant breeze seemed to have swept across this ancient land overnight, carrying away even the decayed, rotten air that had lingered over the scorched earth since the war.
At the edge of the forest by the Homeward Bound Long Bridge, heavy footsteps and the creaking scrape of wooden branches rang out in succession. Enormous Forest Guardians emerged from the woods, patrolling the land that had finally returned to peace. Far taller than ordinary treant guards, these sentinels possessed sturdy trunks and iron-gray bark. Their bark and canopies were covered in Alloy Armor and tactical equipment utterly unseen on normal treants, making them especially conspicuous amid the verdant forest.
They held heavy Gorgon Railguns, carried Shield Generators and Automatic Missile Launchers on their shoulders, and had Communication Arrays and armored passenger cabins embedded within their canopies. Every guardian was like a walking turret—though their appearance was undeniably bizarre, these "Thorin Guards" had become a common sight in this forest. Whether elves on this side of the long bridge or humans across it, all had grown accustomed to these silent, powerful allies.
With the Silver Empire and Highland Kingdom still recovering from their losses, the Thorin Guards were an important guarantee of peace and stability in the forest.
After completing their routine patrol to the Homeward Bound Long Bridge, the Thorin Guards slowly came to a halt. One of them bent down, and two nimble figures climbed out from its canopy and lightly jumped to the ground. They were