Reunion × A broken World Tree

The Gold Squad followed the Frog clan to the Oasis.

"I almost threw up from shaking."

Aimeme said, her face pale.

As members of the Dark Continent Exploration Team, their physical abilities are absolutely beyond question.

The fact that she was rocked like that shows how bumpy the journey was.

Not only her, but her teammates around her also looked rather grim.

"This journey has been quite interesting."

Jin, the only one who didn't seem to have many problems, said with a grin.

He hopped and skipped along the Frog's back, and although it was bumpy, he also felt a sense of exhilaration.

These Frog have incredible jumping ability; if they launch themselves forward, they can leap almost a kilometer or more in a single bound.

This is still under the condition of slow speed.

Moreover, once inside the Gobi, various supply points and underground water caves were meticulously arranged to maintain humidity along the way.

Furthermore, without the cover of trees, these Frog's speed increased even more significantly.

The sandstorm blew on them; they were truly suffering.

Of course, the journey was indeed quite novel, and they saw plenty of scenery, especially now that they had entered the Oasis.

"The bustling atmosphere here strongly suggests that this is the core gathering place of this Sky Overlord's territory."

The so-called core gathering place does not necessarily refer to the residence of the Sky Overlord, but rather to a relatively central location within the entire territory.

After all, everyone is gathering here.

"So many races, I can't possibly keep up, and their pronunciation is really peculiar."

Jin then said, "This way of speaking should be the common language of Sapient Life, somewhat similar to Kevin's telepathic communication method before. We'd better learn this language completely; it shouldn't be too difficult for us."

Kim has already learned this common language along the way, while the others are still in the process of learning it.

Fortunately, the common language ensures that all races can understand it, so now it only affects their expression, not their access to information.

"So many powerful figures. Even though these Lords have toned down their intimidating presence, they still make people afraid to approach."

Tuk slightly turned his body to the side, and a Lord walked by not far away.

Fortunately, there weren't many Lords; we only encountered a few along the way.

Upon entering the Oasis, the Frog led Jin and the others towards the Oasis region where their race had been assigned.

"Am I imagining things? Why are they waving at us?" Aimeme suddenly asked, puzzled.

The group looked over and saw a creature that looked somewhat like Monkey waving and chirping at them, as if it were greeting them.

Moreover, they weren't the only ones; several other unfamiliar species also made the same greeting gesture.

"Maybe it's because they're enthusiastic?"

Jin is also not entirely sure.

Just then, they heard a voice calling their names.

"Gold?!"

Jin and the others turned around abruptly and saw Men Qi.

"Men Qi?!"

Jin never expected to meet Men Qi here.

Men Qi rushed over to check on Jin and the others.

Aside from looking a little unwell, Jin and the others seemed to be unharmed, with no missing limbs, but one person was missing: Zaharut was gone.

Where is Zaharut?

Those who know them well know the truth.

Tuk sighed and pointed to the RV carried on the back of a Frog in front of him.

"He's inside the RV, but he's currently in a complete coma."

"It's good that you're still alive."

Men Qi breathed a sigh of relief. This was the Dark Continent; as long as someone was alive, there was still a chance to save them.

After confirming the situation with Kim's teammates, Men Qi asked in confusion, "Why are you here?"

"That's exactly what I was going to ask you, but it's a long story. I need to follow this big Frog to their habitat first."

And so, after Men Qi arrived at the settlement with Jin and the Frog, she led them towards the central area of Oasis.

The Frog race was not led by Lord this time, so they did not arrange a residence in the center of the Oasis. However, since they were also a race with Lord, they were able to find a good place in the Oasis.

When they arrived at Kevin and the others' camp, they saw Kevin standing in front of a giant Cat was drinking medicine that Kevin had made, and making comments as it drank.

"This one is pretty good; it's quite nutritious. I feel like I don't need to eat dinner today."

Cat can go a month without eating.

After listening to the Cat's evaluation, Kevin nodded slightly.

Indeed, only nutrition is something that can be used universally by all living beings, of course, only by living beings with bodies and flesh.

It's useless against spiritual entities, since they don't have flesh and blood and don't need nutrition.

Then Kevin realized what was happening and turned around. Normally, he wouldn't consciously try to perceive his surroundings while in the camp.

"Hmm? An unexpected guest, huh? How unexpected."

Kevin was somewhat surprised to see Kim and the others arrive; he hadn't expected this situation to occur.

"As expected, I knew it was you who had discovered this place."

Jin walked over and saw Kevin, looking completely unsurprised. Only Kevin's Exploration Team have explored such a distant place.

"But how did you end up here? I remember you were exploring inland along the Boundary."

Kevin was still somewhat confused.

The Boundary line is quite a distance from here. It can be said that Jin's team almost followed the Boundary line, then circled around 90 degrees, to arrive at the Grand Tournament Arena. The distance was equivalent to two to three times that of Kevin and his team coming from the straight line.

Furthermore, Jin and his team conducted a thorough exploration, the time spent of which is self-evident.

It's a long story.

"No rush, we have plenty of time."

Soon, as night fell, Biscuit and the others returned one by one, all surprised by the arrival of Kim and the others.

Around the Bonfire at night, everyone gathered, and the Cat curiously sat down nearby, showing great interest in the newly arrived humans.

Then Kevin and the others listened quietly as Kim and the others recounted their experiences over the past year.

Jin possesses the strength of High Knight, having long surpassed the limits of humanity. Instead of returning to human society, he has been diligently training on the Dark Continent for over a year.

There is no doubt that he is a key fighting force in the team.

In addition, having become accustomed to life on the Dark Continent, their adaptation rate is very high.

Moreover, during the year he stayed in the territory, he constantly explored the surrounding area in detail and conducted map surveys, which shows that he has accumulated a wealth of experience.

In this situation, after Kevin and his team returned, they brought better equipment and, together with the original team members, their overall combat strength was that of all Knight, with all standard equipment at its maximum.

Their Nen ability complement each other, and they are all experienced explorers.

Exploring along the Boundary, to be honest, we encountered some dangers along the way, but they were all tolerable; that's just how the Dark Continent is.

Fighting in the wild requires careful consideration. Not every race has good healing methods, and injuries sustained in battle can be fatal.

Humans are simply smaller and easier targets, but the dangers they encounter along the Boundary are limited.

They traveled slowly, stopping frequently, conducting meticulous exploration and mapping, resulting in a very detailed environmental map.

Then came the invasion of the Frost Domain, with Blizzard, Frost, and various creatures from the Frost Realm.

The sudden turn of events dragged Jin and his group into Abyss.

Then they recounted how they encountered that group of Frog, were rescued, were entrusted with a mission, and eventually arrived here.

The process was quite tortuous, and of course, the experience was quite rich.

"Then bring Zaharut over tomorrow, and I'll see if there's any way to cure him."

Kevin thought for a moment and said, "No matter what, getting him cured is the most important thing."

"As for the competition—" Kevin said, shaking his head helplessly at Kim and the others, "I guessed you'd definitely participate, so I won't bother you."

Jin and the others simply smiled.

That's true. In any case, the Frog did save them; otherwise, they would have been wiped out by now.

Therefore, both morally and logically, they should represent the Frog clan in the competition and win some rewards.

At this point, Kevin turned to ask, "Do you know anything about that Frog tribe?"

The Cat nodded.

"I've seen them a few times, but their Battle Aura isn't strong, they don't like fighting, and their territory is a nuisance, I don't like it."

According to Jin and his companions, the Frog race lives in the Thunderstorm Land, characterized by a huge, towering Sky-Piercing Pillar trunk and the ever-present storms and rain in the sky.

It rains 24 hours a day, with occasional torrential downpours and storms.

The Frog lived among the broken logs of that Sky-Piercing Pillar.

"And that broken log is definitely a broken World Tree."

Kim said this with absolute certainty.

The Cat glanced at Jin and nodded slightly.

"That broken log is indeed the World Tree, but it can only be described as a sapling. It hasn't even matured yet, let alone become an old tree."

"As for how it was broken, I don't know. As for the Frog clan being recognized Lord, they rarely participate in the competition because they lose more than they win. The Frog Lord has only come once."

At this point, the Cat added, "If you want to know more, ask Leckka."

"Leckka? He really has connections."

Biscuit complained.

The Cat actually nodded in agreement.

"That's true. Leckka knows almost all the Lord in the territory. Although the relationships vary, he does know them to some extent."

As she spoke, she pointed at Kevin, "Look, weren't you brought here by him? And that's how you met him, wasn't it?"

Upon closer reflection, it is indeed true.

At that time, Leckka sensed Kevin and the others' Battle Aura from afar and came looking for them.

In any case, they have finally met here.

The next day.

Jin and the others brought the unconscious Zaharut over, along with a Frog.

At the same time, Leckka also came here.

Leckka was mainly curious about Jin, after all, Jin was human and had a very strong Battle Aura.

Upon seeing Kevin, the accompanying Frog lowered their limbs and crouched down, presumably as a form of Frog.

The fact that they have a way of bowing indicates that the level of civilization within the Frog community is beginning to develop.

"Since you are a member of a recognized Lord's clan, then this request is null and void."

The Frog said very directly.

We are all Lord, and all Lord recognized by the Sky Overlord, so mutual help and support are only natural.

Jin simply waved his hand.

"No need, thank you for the rescue, so this time, we will still participate and get what you want."

Upon hearing this, the Frog looked at Kevin, and after seeing Kevin nod, it said nothing more, silently retreating to the back and no longer disturbing him.

"The Croak-Croak Clan's attack methods are very monotonous, and their Battle Aura is also weak, so they have almost never achieved good results in competitions."

"That's when Leckka said."

If this race is not known for its combat prowess, yet it has Lord and is recognized by the Sky Overlord, then it means that this race plays a positive role in the development of the entire territory.

Knowing Kevin and the other humans' curiosity about this information, Leckka spoke frankly without any hesitation.

"They live in a broken World Tree, and with the help of this broken World Tree, they are able to continuously accumulate huge Rain Cloud clouds in the sky."

"The broken World Tree's massive roots still connect to the earth's veins throughout the region, with various passages and underground water systems almost all linked to it."

"Therefore, it is extremely important for the Croak-Croak Clan to maintain the Rain Cloud there, constantly bringing enough underground water to the entire territory."

At this point, everyone probably understands why the Croak-Croak Clan has gained recognition.

At that moment, an even more secretive message entered Kevin's mind.

"Some of that rainwater will gather in the broken World Tree, and then flow into important places through some channels inside its roots."

"The rainwater that gathers within the World Tree carries nutrients that are vital to many regions, including those Possessed Spirits."

Upon hearing this cryptic remark, Kevin roughly understood.

This was Leckka reminding him not to mess with the Croak-Croak Clan.

The other party's location and key responsibilities are very likely to have important connections with multiple territories.

Kevin even believed that the Golden Grassland's ley lines and water system contained a portion of this, making it something that the Sky Overlord were definitely paying close attention to.

Place and race.

"Then why are they in the Boundary region? It's dangerous there, isn't it?"

Kevin asked discreetly.

However, Leckka only gave one word.

"That's outrageous."

Kevin understood immediately.

Why is such an important place considered Boundary? It's obvious that the Sky Overlord forcibly incorporated it.

Perhaps long ago, that area belonged to the territory of the Frost Overlord, who knows?

The other side's intrusion into the Boundary may well have an important objective of reclaiming this area from their own territory.