The Story of the Twisted Treant Begins: Dryad Pinison

--Mid -Mid-Fire Month.

August 7th, Carne Village.

Now!

As the village closest to the Great Forest of Tob, it has temporarily become the base for the Adventurer's Guild's "slaying of Unknown Plant-Type Monster".

Carne Village is a small village with only 25 households, established to prevent unexpected risks caused by Monster Disturbance.

Enri arranged for everyone in the village to temporarily relocate to "Ye Lantier" for safety, and she originally planned to pay for it herself.

Following the captain, she had saved up more than 2,000 gold coins in less than a year.

Other valuables were also harvested in the Abelion Hills.

This is the amount of gold coins she could accumulate in the village... no, the entire village couldn't accumulate in hundreds of years.

but.

Captain Lakyus of "Blue Roses" directly used the "suppression budget" to resettle the villagers of Carne Village.

A more spacious room for the village chief.

The members of "Blue Roses," Enri, and the captains of twelve other adventurer teams were gathered in the room.

"The items provided by the Magic Caster's Guild have finally arrived."

Gagaran's sharp gaze swept over everyone present, and a look of anticipation, finally ready to unleash his full potential, appeared on his square face.

"A lot of time was wasted."

Five days have passed since the last Adventurer's Guild meeting.

The adventurers present understood the principle of "speed is of the essence in war," but the reason it had been delayed until now was due to the issue of magical items.

The "unknown plant monster" possesses Mental System control abilities, and if this problem is not resolved, the extermination team will suffer fatal consequences.

Magical items that can resist "mental influence" are not only expensive but also extremely rare; even "Adamantite Rank" adventurer teams may not all be equipped with them.

Not to mention the other adventurers!

"Blue Roses" is clearly an exception; none of the members are simple, so naturally they would not lack items for mental resistance.

"Captains, please."

Lakyus fully armed, a blue rose-shaped magical hairpin adorning her smooth blonde hair, her expression serious.

"After five days of preparation, the Adventurer's Guild and the Magic Caster's Guild have gathered a batch of magical items, but it's still not enough to equip everyone. However, they have enough potions for Mental Resistance."

"Therefore, I would like to ask all captains to distribute the magical items to the key personnel."

The last meeting was attended by Theo Rakheshir, the president of the Magic Caster's Guild, because they needed to borrow items from the Magic Caster's Guild.

That's right.

It's "borrowing," not purchasing.

Magical items are too expensive, and even with the support of the Adventurer's Guild and the Mayor, the funds are insufficient.

"I see."

Don't worry.

"It is our honor that His Excellency Lakyus is personally in command."

"..."

A series of soft laughs rang out.

A slight smile appeared on Lakyus's tense face.

The adventurers have diverse personalities, and this is the first time she has led such a large adventurer team. She was worried about various troublemakers, but it seems that none of them have appeared.

"Enri, is there anything else on your end?"

Lakyus turned his head and gently asked Enri.

"Free Will" and his team are all Adamantite Rank adventurers, and even though their leader didn't appear, Enri, given her status, would still need to specifically inquire about him.

"Oh, no."

Enri straightened her spine and quickly waved her hand.

Lakyus nodded slightly.

"What a pity, I thought I would be able to meet Team Leader Tang."

"The other party is Genius Alchemy."

"The finest Regeneration Potion possess healing effects that surpass even Second-Tier Healing Magic."

"Yes, if Team Leader Tang were involved, everyone's safety would be elevated to a higher level."

Quiet whispers rippled through the group of team leaders.

Compared to Tang Zheng's strength, what everyone present was most concerned about was the title of "Genius Alchemy".

From this perspective!

Tang Zheng's strategy was successful. His identity as "Adventurer Tang" made people focus more on his title as Alchemist than on his actual abilities.

"Captain..."

Enri also felt a pang of regret; without the captain, she always felt a little uneasy.

During the meeting, she secretly contacted the captain and inquired about this issue.

The captain does indeed want to help.

However, Miss Cuiye was unable to leave, and the distance between the Abelion Hills and the Great Forest of Tob was also far.

Even if the captain set off immediately, he wouldn't be able to get there in such a short time.

The captains of the various adventurer teams each took their magical items and potions and left separately.

"Lakyus, thank you."

Enri suddenly stood up and bowed slightly to Lakyus.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Lakyus's eyes widened suddenly, his clear, emerald-green eyes looking at Enri with confusion.

Gagaran suddenly sneered, "You've clearly slain Legendary Undead like the Soul Eater, and your deeds are constantly being told in the tavern."

Gagaran grinned like a beast, leaning forward to sized up the diminutive Enri.

"The resettlement fee is nothing; that small amount of money, along with any magical item I just gave you, would be enough to settle your entire village."

Lakyus then understood and said in a relaxed tone, "It's the Adventurer's Guild that's paying for it. Since it can be used, why wouldn't it?"

"That's just how Gagaran is; he doesn't mean any harm, Enri."

"Demon Leader."

"I just want her to truly understand that her status is different now than before, and small favors don't deserve the word 'thank you'."

Gagaran crossed his thick arms over his chest and spoke in a deep voice, after all, they were all Adamantite Rank adventurers.

Enri understood a bit and said to Gagaran, "I understand, thank you, Lord Gagaran."

"I told you, don't use 'thank you' so casually." Gagaran's fierce expression returned.

Faced with this outwardly fierce demeanor.

Enri smiled brightly.

Although Lord Gagaran looks somewhat frightening, he is actually a gentle person at heart.

One side.

Tina squinted, looking Enri up and down. "Oh, by the way, did you really defeat the Soul Eater all by yourself?"

"I'm sorry, it's not the right thing to ask, but the guy we're dealing with next might be tough. Knowing our comrades' strength will help us come up with a better strategy."

In reality, this falls under the category of spying on others.

"Yes."

Enri became serious and replied earnestly, but did not say another word.

During her time following the captain, Enri clearly understood the importance of intelligence, and she had become a qualified adventurer.

The air was slightly still.

Tina was somewhat unwilling to give up and wanted to try to extract information from them again through language.

"Tina!" Lakyus suddenly spoke, responding with a stern look.

Tina sighed and shrugged slightly.

"She's not lying." Evileye stared at Enri for a rare moment. "And she should possess a profession with special abilities against the Undead."

As Undead, one's perception in this regard is naturally acute!

Lakyus and his companions were surprised.

Enri also showed surprise, thinking to herself, "Amazing!"

10:21.

A party of 60 adventurers, including "Blue Roses" and Enri, set off into the Great Forest of Tob.

at the same time!

Deep in the northern part of the Great Forest of Tob.

What should have been a green ocean of dense trees has become a withered wasteland, a veritable "Forest Rift."

No!

Calling it a "Forest Rift" is really inappropriate.

The once towering, lush trees, dozens of meters tall, had all their trunks withered, and their vibrant green leaves had long since vanished.

The branches were so fragile that they would break easily in the wind.

This place looks like a dead zone.

However.

There are two normal trees, one large and one small, standing in this barren sea of trees. The smaller one is only eleven or twelve meters tall and looks no different from an ordinary large tree.

The largest one, however, was astonishingly tall, reaching over twenty meters. Compared to the normal tree, this one had a lush but messy canopy of green leaves.

Bright red flowers dot the leaves.

On the thick tree trunk, there is a gaping hole shaped like a hideous mouth, with wispy roots resembling teeth swaying incessantly around the opening.

In the root region, it is even more terrifying, with dense, root-like tentacles wriggling on and under the ground like an octopus.

It looks like a tree that resembles a monster!

The small, ordinary tree's crown trembled occasionally, as if it were afraid of the strange tree beside it.

It was as if they sensed something.

The leaves of an ordinary tree suddenly made a soft rustling sound.

The next moment.

A naked figure, resembling a human female with brown skin and long, leaf-like hair, emerged from an ordinary tree.

Her name is Pinison, and she is a Tree Spirit whose true form is the large tree next to her.

"The parasitic monster has been killed, Evil Tree Spirit," Pinison cautiously reported to the Terror Treant beside her.

As Heteromorphic Species, and moreover, a Tree Spirit, she possesses a lifespan far exceeding that of Elf; her exact age is only vaguely understood.

It is probably over 300 years old... or perhaps more.

Age has no real meaning for an Elf; her long lifespan has allowed her to know some ancient legends that have been passed down through generations.

For example, regarding "The Story of the Twisted Treant"

"Okay, now's not the time to think about that." The thought flashed through Pinison' mind.

She didn't want to stay here at all, but unfortunately, her true form couldn't move. Even as a Tree Spirit, she couldn't stray too far from her original body.

This resulted in her watching helplessly as this once beautiful place transformed into the barren wasteland it is today.

Even!

She almost lost her life as well.

The culprit behind all this is, of course, the Evil Tree of Terror that descended three hundred years ago.

During his most recent awakening.

She witnessed the Thirteen Heroes defeat the Evil Tree, which was not fully awakened, and heard the Hero promise to defeat the Evil Tree again next time.

"Hero, where are you!"

Pinison screamed inwardly, filled with fear of the future.

The Evil Tree began to awaken anew, and the nutrients in the earth and the vitality of the surrounding trees were rapidly being transformed into nourishment for the Evil Tree.

Pinison could clearly hear the mournful cries of all the plants.

The Hero did not appear!

The only reason she survived was because she sought refuge with the Evil Tree, which actually involved an element of luck.

Belonging to the same plant-type monsters, they possess a certain degree of resistance, and most importantly...

"Wa...

The Terror Treant opened its horrifying root-like maw and emitted strange, chaotic sounds.

This is not a complete language!

but.

Pinison, however, could understand what the Terror Treant was trying to say: eliminate the intruders and continue to provide nourishment to the Evil Tree.

"The wisdom of constraint!"

Pinison made this assessment in her mind.

The Terror Treant before them was not the Evil Tree. The real Evil Tree had not yet fully awakened; the creature was merely a seed released by the Evil Tree, transformed into a monster.

There was no clear reason!

They are more like the monsters that originally lived in the forest and only had the "survival instinct".

Pinison survived because she used her intelligence to demonstrate her ability to revive the Evil Tree more quickly.

"Yes, Treant Man."

After hearing the chaotic tone, Pinison lowered her head and quickly responded respectfully, but her heart sank even further.

She's a bad person now!

Even though it deeply resents doing this, it lacks the ability to even pretend to comply; this Terror Treant can still release unique seeds.

There is a seed of the other party parasitizing inside her body.

If she cannot obey the other party's orders, the Terror Treant will drain her life force before killing her!

"This monster has no real intelligence!"

"It's pointless to reason with them, just like with those noisy Goblin." A sense of despair washed over Pinison.

Whether the Evil Tree truly revives in the future or the Hero seal Evil Tree away again, their fate will likely be grim!

"Bad guys, they're all bad guys..."

Pinison raised her hand to wipe the corner of her eye, looking aggrieved and on the verge of tears.

Whoosh!

A faint, shimmering green light appeared.

Pinison' body became ethereal and then merged back into her original form.

Although the seed parasitizing her body controls her life, it also possesses other abilities.

For example, through this seed, Pinison can control most of the monsters in the forest that are parasitized by the seeds released by the Terror Treant.

This ability reminded Pinison of the information she had heard from the Thirteen Heroes who had passed by her about the Legendary Undead "Death Knight".

It is said that these Undead can be controlled by killing the living, which is somewhat similar to the abilities of the Terror Treant.

He's practically a plant-based Death Knight!

The Abelion Hills, deep in the valley.

Tang Zheng put down the research materials in his hand and let out a soft breath.

The news about Clementine and the "Four Elements" corroborates each other.

Tang Zheng picked up the water bag, took a sip of warm water, and toyed with a Frogman's Egg between his fingers, pondering slightly. "This means the Theocracy already knows about the impending revival of the Evil Tree."

only.

The [Black Scripture] hasn't acted immediately. Are they waiting for something?

(End of this chapter)