Orian put on his fur coat, accompanied by a group of Forest Ranger guards. By now, these Forest Rangers were worlds apart from the crude power system of a century ago.
The Forest Rangers had a vast selection of spells at their disposal. Since Locke himself excelled at Peach Arc Thorn Arrow magic and needed them to deduce a supporting series of Spell Models for the Great Green Leaf Dragon Sparrow, these rangers were skilled with bows, arrows, and movement techniques.
Orian donned his battle attire, slung his bow and arrows over his back, and armed himself.
He looked at the lords of the city-states under his command and said, "There's no need to see me off. This is far enough. The Golden Tree is just ahead. As long as we enter the planar passage behind it, we can reach the Emerald Dream."
"It's a natural secret realm where it is eternally spring."
The lords of the city-states, along with the elite Forest Rangers, looked at him with complicated expressions.
They respected and loved him, but they also felt that Orian was hindering the progress of the era and preventing their age from arriving. They were eager to try, yet all of them knew they were no match for Orian.
At this moment, Orian's resolute decision to enter the Emerald Dream alone should have made them happy, but instead, their hearts were heavy.
It was as if they were watching a legend march toward its end.
Orian suddenly said, "I've heard a saying: flowers bloom again, but people never return to their youth. When I was young, I built this city-state here, and it became the holy land of our civilization. I know what you're thinking. You want to turn this place into the capital of a kingdom."
Orian raised