Tree Sea Spirit

Prophet, we wish to see you.

In the hazy veil of a light dream, Ian heard that voice.

He keenly sensed that the other party truly was the Tree Sea Spirit from Redwood Native legend, the one that bestowed divine revelations only upon the "chosen."

Why had he been chosen? Why would a White Folk exile sent to the Southern Ridge draw the attention of the Redwood Natives' ritual spirit?

And from the sound of that voice, it seemed extremely familiar with him, even aware of Ian's identity as a prophet.

This was truly interesting—naturally, Ian gladly agreed. Early that morning, he set out for the Great Redwood Forest Sea west of Harrison Port.

Although the Redwood Natives had already been subdued by Harrison Port, and the chieftains of every major tribe had sworn loyalty to Viscount Grant, the Great Redwood Forest Sea had not been fully occupied by the Imperials... Or rather, from the very beginning, this primeval forest had embraced everyone within it.

Had the Imperials living in the Southern Ridge conquered this land, or had this land tamed them and turned them into new "Redwood Natives"?

That was truly difficult to say.

After all, even the Imperials, who styled themselves "conquerors of all lands," would unconsciously use honorifics when speaking of the Tree Sea Spirit. Unlike when facing the Tide Surge Spirit and Mountain Tide Spirit, they did not arrogantly regard these colossal beings as prey.

Because they understood very clearly... every grain they cultivated, every fruit and vegetable they obtained, every herb and ascended plant they gathered—all of it was a gift from the Tree Sea Spirit.

The Great Redwood Forest Sea existed alongside all those who lived upon this land.

Thus, after entering the tree sea, Ian did not search aimlessly for the Tree Sea Spirit. Instead, he patiently stood beneath a towering redwood, waiting for it to grant him "guidance."

Before long, a breeze stirred the white mist, blowing leaf after leaf before Ian's eyes.

Ian followed the direction in which those leaves drifted.

Dawn shone upon the dense canopy and branches of the forest. Outside, the world had already grown bright, but within the woods, it remained as dim as night. The white-haired youth wore a waterproof cloak and walked naturally across heaps of decaying leaves that only beasts would tread, heading deep into the vast forest where even the natives would not venture carelessly.

Before him, several leaves spun onward in the breeze without falling for a long while. They were the Tree Sea Spirit's guides.

Soon, after a long trek, Ian arrived beside a small hill surrounded by dense forest.

The little hill was covered in lush green and was nothing remarkable by Southern Ridge standards. Hunters who frequently entered the forest knew well that areas like this often had dens of cave-dwelling giant bears or fierce beasts nearby, so they would take a detour. The Redwood Natives, however, liked to build such hills into the heart of their tribes.

The hill before him had likely once been home to some tribe. The reason he said once was because it had now become ruins. Ian could see fragments of what resembled a temple atop the hill, built from massive stones exceptionally rare within the tree sea. Though an archway had already collapsed halfway, the remaining half still stood lofty and imposing, imparting a sacred feeling.

Calling it ruins was generous. It was actually nothing but desolation. Aside from stones, there was nothing here. No matter how greedy an adventurer might be, they would find no pots to kick and could only leave in disappointment.

But Ian was not a greedy adventurer.

He was a greedy prophet.

He did not need to kick pots. Treasure chests containing treasure would appear before his eyes on their own!

So the moment he arrived, he raised his brows and said in surprise, "It's actually here—"

As his words fell, behind the half-ruined archway, atop the low hill, the thick forest and shrubs parted along a gap as though opened by an invisible hand.

An entrance bearing obvious signs of human construction, leading deep underground, appeared before the youth.

—This is the place.

At that moment, Ian heard the voice of the "tree sea" again: We who exist upon this land are now waiting for you beneath this nexus.

"I came in a hurry and didn't bring a gift. Don't mind my abruptness."

Ian strode inside.

Naturally, he was not afraid.

Not to mention that, with the Ancient Dragon Core and Origin Matter Furnace Core, he possessed combat strength capable of fighting a Third Energy Level opponent. He also had the Undead Monarch, two ascension systems, alchemical potions, and enough alchemical bombs on hand to blow a hole through this little hill...

Not to mention the warning measures he had arranged beforehand—at the first sign of trouble, he could summon Hua An and Viscount Grant.

Whenever he went out, Ian always made the most cautious preparations to ensure nothing could go wrong!

Besides, he could tell that the Tree Sea Spirit sought him out with nothing but goodwill.

It was simply that Ian did not know where this goodwill came from.

The inside of the hill was not soil. Only its outermost layer was raised earth; the further inward one went, the more it resembled a strange hollow structure of petrified roots.

Clearly, this hill had not formed naturally. It was an underground hollow forcibly "built" by the roots of some peculiar plant. This was likely the "nexus" spoken of by the tree sea.

And the farther inward he went, the brighter the light became.

Soon, Ian felt the space before him abruptly open up. With a single step, the narrow path leading into the hollow beneath the hill vanished.

Before the youth lay a broad "ground" woven from countless emerald-green roots resembling vines, while overhead was a semicircular dome supported by numerous petrified roots.

At the center of this ground was a depression like a small piece of amber—the source of the light. Crystal-clear lake water, exuding an intense aura of life, rippled within it with a sacred air. As though breathing, it gathered the power of every root in the entire underground hollow and condensed it within itself.

Without question, what had appeared before Ian was the "Tree Sea Sacred Spring" of Redwood Native legend, a spring of life capable of healing all injuries.

"Interesting."

But Ian merely glanced at the Tree Sea Sacred Spring before shifting his attention to the entire underground space.

The Tree Sea Sacred Spring was indeed precious. The density and purity of the life Origin Matter it contained even surpassed Crystal Lake within the South Sea Grand Labyrinth... Even the water at the bottom of Radiant Haze Lake could only barely compare.

Of course, both Crystal Lake and Radiant Haze Lake held far more water than the Tree Sea Sacred Spring. But the Tree Sea Sacred Spring could be directly used as a healing potion, while the other two could at most serve as a culture-medium substrate. That was the difference between types of Origin Matter.

But that was all. A natural healing potion was not enough to make Ian care overly much.

What truly intrigued him was the environment of the entire underground hollow.

"The composition of the air has changed. Higher oxygen concentration, slightly lower nitrogen, more carbon dioxide too, with a touch of acidity... This air composition is nearly that of another world..."

A silver glow lit up in Ian's eyes as he gathered information from his surroundings and murmured inwardly, "No, this is another world—this is an 'otherworldly ecosystem'!"

"This is a 'miniature ecological garden' constructed underground by the Tree Sea Spirit!"

The hollow beneath the Redwood Forest Sea was isolated from the outside world.

Here, the composition of the atmosphere was completely different from normal Terra. Beyond the various elements, the air also contained some tangible pheromones and trace fungal colonies resembling spores. All of these were released by the vines that made up the land of this tree sea.

And beyond being part of this ecological garden, this was actually a language.

The Silver Chip translated that language... At the same time, psychic fluctuations carrying exactly the same meaning as this pheromone language communicated with Ian once again: Prophet, we are very happy that you came as promised.

And over the countless centuries, aside from the first generation of Redwood leaders, you are the only Terra human to perceive the truth of this place's environment.

The voice of the tree sea even carried a trace of gratification.

Amid rustling sounds, Ian saw great swathes of green leaves, tender shoots, and vines begin growing from the vines on the ground. In an instant, these plant tissues of differing textures formed a rather indistinct woody incarnation, though its shape vaguely resembled a human woman.

The incarnation was quite tall, like a sacred statue eight feet high, and its form was rather detailed. Though composed entirely of leaves, vines, and roots, one could make out its features and the simple long dress it wore.

It possessed a remarkably holy, maternal face, matching the subconscious humanized image of the Tree Sea Spirit held by most people in the Southern Ridge.

No... Rather, it was precisely because everyone believed the Tree Sea Spirit ought to look like this that they chose this form to manifest before Ian.

"You are..."

Ian examined the woody incarnation before him. He knew it was a humanoid form condensed by the tree sea for ease of communication, and the Tree Sea Spirit nodded slightly: I am the Tree Sea Spirit of this land, and also all the plants surrounding the Great Redwood Forest Sea itself.

Prophet, ever since we learned of your existence, we have been waiting for the right moment. We intended to invite and guide you here within ten years.

But you grew too quickly, left too quickly, and returned too quickly. It was truly beyond my expectations, so there was no time to prepare fully. I could only seize this opportunity to communicate with you directly.

Thus, this is somewhat abrupt.

—Ten years? Is your sense of time a little off?

Hearing the other party's words, Ian could not help but complain inwardly... Within ten years counted as soon? Was the sense of time possessed by plant spirits really this outrageous?

Still, this was not strange. If the Great Redwood Forest Sea was as he suspected, then differing concepts of time were merely the simplest of their differences.

"I am very glad to meet you... or rather, all of you, Tree Sea Spirit."

Ian raised his head and said to the Tree Sea Spirit, "Presumably, you also know my purpose. I want the Foresight Twin Leaves, to see whether they possess the power to strengthen my abilities as a prophet... If not, I would still like to study this wonder."

"Since you can communicate, let us proceed in a communicative manner—Tree Sea Spirit, how can I obtain the Foresight Twin Leaves from you? What do you need? Or what do you need me to do?"

"You took the initiative to invite me here, so you must have some need of me. We both need something from each other. We should be able to reach a partnership."

I can give you the Foresight Twin Leaves directly, without any price.

The tall wooden statue of the holy mother smiled at Ian: At first, I wished to call you here only to have you help me foresee the course of the future. But later, I simply wished to express my gratitude to you.

Thank you, Ian. Your new technology has expanded the wilderness and allowed our domain to penetrate deeper into this world, deeper into the realm of humanity.

Ian: "?"