Cuyis Tree Sea

In the end, Sordil got everything he wanted and left the royal palace satisfied.

After Sordil left the palace, Belmod immediately ordered someone to summon the prime minister. About half an hour later, a short, stout white-haired elder with a long beard appeared before Belmod. Upon seeing the elder, Belmod dismissed all the guards and servants from the room. The two remained inside for a long time, discussing matters in secret. The following morning, Belmod convened the court and publicly announced that, from that day onward, no one was permitted to enter the Cuyis Tree Sea in the kingdom's northeast. He also ordered all lords whose territories lay near the forest to relocate at once, with the kingdom assigning them new lands as compensation.

After Belmod announced the order, two lords whose territories were near the Cuyis Tree Sea raised objections. Before long, however, the royal guards dragged them outside and executed them. At that moment, the prime minister stepped forward to advise the king not to anger himself into poor health. At the same time, he warned the officials that it did not matter where their territories were; what mattered was whether their income would decrease and whether their heads remained where they belonged. Hearing this, how could the others fail to understand? The matter of the Cuyis Tree Sea was already set in stone, with no room for change. At the same time, they became even more curious about what could have made the king reach such a decision.

Sordil knew nothing of what happened afterward in the palace, and even if he had known, he would not have cared. After all, he had helped His Majesty the King resolve a "Nation-Destroying Crisis," and the price was merely a tree sea with little practical value. Moreover, it could serve as a trump card against the Dragonov Dragon Clan. Such a profitable deal was something any king who was not an idiot would certainly support.

However, those were matters for His Majesty the King to worry about. Young Master Sordil had no time for them now. He was busy leading Gilkunis and the others toward their new home—the Cuyis Tree Sea. He had no desire to meddle in anything else. As for the promise he had made to the king about dealing with the Dragonov Dragon Clan, that was a problem for the future. Right now, Sordil's greatest problem was how to feed so many people and dragons.

After five days of flight, a sea of emerald green burst into Sordil and the others' view. Countless trees swayed in the wind, waves upon waves of green rolling toward the horizon. At first sight of the Cuyis Tree Sea, everyone fell deeply in love with the place. The exhaustion from more than ten days of travel vanished in an instant, and even the faint dissatisfaction they had felt about relocating gradually faded away. After they had admired the scenery for a while, Sordil led everyone down into the center of the forest and cleared an open space, preparing to restore Fostadu to its original state.

"Bzzzz—"

The air around them hummed continuously as the miniature Fostadu gradually expanded. The clearing the group had made was slowly filled, until at last, a majestic peak towering into the clouds rose from the heart of the tree sea. Only then did everyone within Fostadu finally return to their original forms.

"Everyone, listen to me. From this day forth, this will be our new home—the reborn Fostadu! We will never again have to worry about being attacked by dragons, because we have left the Western Continent ruled by those savage dragons. Here, we will begin our new lives!" Sordil flew into the air and called down to the dragons and people below.

"Oh! We've finally escaped those vicious dragons! Long live Fostadu!"

"Long live Fostadu!"

"Long live Young Master Sordil!"

Western Continent, former site of Fostadu

Glaide stared at the completely empty clearing before him. Coupled with the fact that his subordinates had found nothing after searching the surrounding area, he felt as though his brain simply could not process it anymore. No matter how hard he thought, he could not understand how a majestic mountain could suddenly disappear. He should have been happy to lose a rival and gain that rival's territory, yet Glaide could not laugh now. He even felt the urge to cry. It was not because he felt lonely after losing an opponent. No, he felt miserable because Fostadu's disappearance left him unable to explain himself to the higher-ups, and his life was about to come to an end. Glaide had never imagined that he would not die in battle, but instead die because his opponent had vanished for no apparent reason.

Still, he did not dare to simply leave like the dragons of Fostadu had, because those higher-ups would never allow a subordinate who had disgraced them to live. When the time came, he would likely face a manhunt across the entire continent. Of course, the most important reason was that he did not possess his opponent's incredible ability to escape. Thus, he could only go and meet those higher-ups with the resolve to die, hoping to earn their forgiveness.

Ishgar, Kingdom of Donagunov

Queen Irene was arranging flowers in the flowerbed before a statue in the square when the prime minister suddenly rushed up to her and whispered something urgently. A quarter of an hour later, the prime minister departed, while Irene stared in the direction of the Cuyis Tree Sea and fell into deep thought.

"Irene, what are you thinking about so intently?" A massive grayish-white dragon stared at the distracted Irene and asked.

"It's nothing. My subordinates just informed me that Belmod has designated the Cuyis Tree Sea a restricted zone. I'm afraid he is planning something major there, so I have already ordered people to keep a close watch on it in case anything happens," Irene replied.

"The Cuyis Tree Sea? It is enough to have people watching it. Right now, we should focus our attention on the Western Continent. I heard that the dragons there have begun launching large-scale attacks on humans. Not long ago, even the last dragon clan on the Western Continent that was friendly toward humans was wiped out." As Wise Dragon Belserion recalled the information he had received, his expression grew increasingly grave.

"What? Doesn't that mean there is no longer any possibility of peace talks between us and the dragons of the Western Continent?" Thinking of what was to come, Irene's face instantly turned ashen.

"Irene, don't worry. If they dare attack Ishgar, then even if I must stake my life on it, I will stop them. Even if it sparks a war among dragonkind, I will protect you and the kingdom." Belserion plunged both hands deep into the ground, swearing his loyalty to the queen.

Cuyis Tree Sea, Fostadu

Sordil handed all matters over to Hadessta and the others, becoming a hands-off manager himself. He had even begun planning his return to Mildian Magic Academy. After all, there was still an important figure there who was crucial to his future; he had no choice but to return. Moreover, if he wanted to survive, he would have to rely on the power of Mildian Magic Academy.

Thus, after remaining in the Cuyis Tree Sea for ten days, Sordil told everyone that he intended to head to Mildian Magic Academy. The dragons immediately opposed his decision. Hadessta and the others were extremely firm in their stance, refusing no matter what to agree to such a dangerous undertaking. Just as Sordil was preparing to sneak away in the middle of the night, Wattster seemed to see through his intentions and proposed that he could go—but only if someone accompanied him. While the dragons looked at her in confusion, Sordil sensed a faint magical fluctuation in the air. Then Gilkunis and the other dragons all changed their minds and began supporting Wattster's plan.

Two days later, Sordil set out for Mildian Magic Academy with the bodyguard team that his four fathers and one mother had prepared for him.