Oren City turned into a machine running at full tilt. At first, the people of Oren City had revered the gods and feared divine punishment, but as they watched those people to the north continuously transport "wealth," they finally could not sit still. Under Grand Duke Oren's will, they joined this hunt for timber.
Grand Duke Oren's change naturally drove the actions of more than a dozen surrounding Noble Territories as well. After even more manpower joined in, the Western Forest Sea became like the carcass of a giant beast, being cut apart and carried away bit by bit by ants.
The collapse of trees was the forest's howl of pain. The wind blowing through the woods went desperately toward the depths of The Woodlands. The trees told their ancestors of humanity's sins, and so a Life Ancestor Tree, whose canopy blotted out the sky and allowed sunlight to fall only in scattered rays through the gaps onto the earth, shook its leaves.
The soft, rustling sound of compassion gradually became trembling thunder and a sudden downpour. Beneath the Ancestor Tree, on the broad earth, one elf after another knelt on the ground in terror and unease.
Grasses, trees, and flowers grew out of the soil. An elf reached out to touch them. Beneath his long robe, withered hands braced on a staff and supported his body as he stood. Turning to look at the priests behind him, the old man said in a heavy voice:
"The forest has suffered slaughter. The Ancestor Tree is enraged because of it. The elves' sin cannot be forgiven."
"I am going to see Your Majesty. She must bear the blame for her dereliction of duty."
At the center of the treehouses grew an enormous ancient tree. The emerald Royal Palace, formed from connected