Walking Out of the Tree Sea

Walking Out of the Tree Sea

The most commonly used language and writing system in the Multiverse World was called Common. It was an alphabetic script composed of thirty-four letters. However, since there were races other than humans, different races generally had their own languages and writing systems as well, such as Elvish, Dwarvish, Halfling, Gnomish, Draconic, and so on.

What was rather incredible was that, as a transmigrator, I had no trouble communicating with the locals. I also seemed able to switch freely between any language, and could easily read and write every script.

The sensation was quite strange. It was like learning to ride a bicycle—you would not forget even if you did not ride one for decades. It felt more like an instinct.

After discovering this, I sang a Chinese song from Earth to my subordinate, Lavna. According to her, it had been translated flawlessly into Common when she heard it. The lyrics even rhymed perfectly, without the slightest sense of awkwardness.

However, when she recited the lyrics back to me, I noticed some subtle differences from the original. Perhaps certain changes had been automatically made in order to make the translation rhyme in Common. The original meaning had not changed much, so it did not matter if it was only for communication.

But where exactly had this ability come from? That truly puzzled me. Was it because of the Demon King System?

But on second thought, the Demon King System had only activated after I agreed to become a Demon King. Yet I had been able to understand Lavna before that, so it probably had nothing to do with it.

I could not think of any reliable explanation for the time being, so I could only attribute it to a minor "aftereffect" of transmigration.

—Excerpt from Demon King Atlas's Notes

PS: His Majesty the Demon King's singing was comparable to a sonic attack. As expected of His Majesty the Demon King.

—BY: Lavna

The Great Tree Sea was extraordinarily vast, and its environment was rather complex. It contained many kinds of terrain, including swamps and wetlands. It was not simply a forest.

But precisely because it was so vast, this region was marked on virtually every map as a "civilization forbidden zone."

On the eastern side of the Great Tree Sea, practically right next to it, was a small town called Naspar.

To the north lay vast mountain ranges. To the east, one had to cross highlands and barren shores to reach the civilized world. Only by heading south for roughly half a day could one reach a relatively prosperous coastal city. It could be said that the town was located in the absolute middle of nowhere.

Worse still, because it was so remote, even merchant caravans rarely came here. If the townsfolk wanted to buy daily necessities, they could only travel to the coastal city in the south to purchase them personally. Aside from a small number of adventurers who might want to enter the Great Tree Sea to explore for treasure, almost no one came to this town.

By all logic, no one should have settled in a place like this. But if one turned back the clock twenty years, it had been a completely different sight.

Naspar was a transliteration from Elvish, and its original meaning was "the foremost outpost."

Twenty years ago, when the Demon King of Tyranny still existed, his Demon King Castle had stood deep within the Great Tree Sea. At the time, every mortal nation on the plane had felt the threat firsthand. They spent vast sums hiring and training adventurers, and pooled the strength of their entire nations to equip them with the finest weapons and magical items. Naturally, all supplies and supporting facilities had also been fully prepared.

It was against this backdrop that Naspar was established. Its original purpose, just as its name implied, was to serve as an outpost leading into the depths of the Great Tree Sea.

Back then, hundreds or even thousands of adventurers entered the Great Tree Sea every day along paths worn down over time, heading for the Demon King Castle in an attempt to kill the Demon King of Tyranny. The manpower and wealth of the entire plane converged here, creating unprecedented prosperity.

As the Demon King of Tyranny suddenly disappeared, the various nations confirmed that he was truly gone and no longer had any reason to keep pouring vast amounts of wealth into this place. As one country after another withdrew its funding, large numbers of adventurers stopped coming once they could no longer get paid, and the town gradually fell into ruin.

At present, Naspar had fewer than five thousand permanent residents, and the number was still declining. Many people could no longer make a living and had no choice but to move elsewhere in search of another livelihood.

However, since the town had still survived after twenty years, it showed that it retained at least a tiny advantage capable of attracting outsiders.

It was another bright and sunny morning. Spring mornings still carried a trace of chill, but compared with winter's cold, spring temperatures brought a refreshing and comfortable feeling without being stifling.

The guards opened the town gates, yawned, and began another day of standing watch.

Although Naspar was only a small town, it had once served as a forward position against the Demon King of Tyranny. It therefore possessed massive walls as high as twenty meters, and the entire town was shaped like a pentagon. It was said that this design had been chosen during construction to make it easier to arrange protective spells.

The town had originally stockpiled enormous quantities of supplies and defensive equipment. Though it was small, its defensive capabilities were in no way inferior to those of a truly solid fortress.

Of course, by now those defensive arrangements were practically useless. And due to funding problems, even the guards defending the town had been dismissed one after another. The current guards were basically no different from municipal enforcers.

As the sun gradually climbed higher, the dew hanging from branches and blades of grass slowly evaporated. Naspar, which normally received almost no outsiders, was somewhat livelier today.

A sunshade tent had been set up early in front of one of the gates, with tables, chairs, and other office supplies placed beneath it. Quite a few people had gathered there as well, as though something was happening.

At that moment, a traveler clad in a gray cloak emerged from the woods outside the town, right beside the Great Tree Sea, pushing aside vines that blocked his way. He carried a canvas backpack and wore a short sword at his waist for self-defense, presenting the standard appearance of an ordinary traveler.

He casually pulled back his hood, looked toward the town gate, and muttered as if talking to himself, "This place is bigger than I expected. Is it really just a small town?"

"This place was originally built as an outpost against the former Demon King, which is why it was constructed so sturdily."

Lavna's voice came from Pei Renli's shadow. This was one of her innate abilities, allowing her to hide and move within shadows.

The bread she had given Pei Renli earlier had actually been stored food Lavna bought from Naspar. She had come here many times before.

After all, whether or not a new Demon King appeared, Lavna still needed to eat...

However, her range of activity was limited to this place. She had never gone any farther, because she had to guard the crystal ball at all times to ensure she would be there when a new Demon King appeared.

"Following your orders, this subordinate completed the procedures yesterday. You may proceed directly."

Pei Renli lifted his cloak and took a scroll tied with a red ribbon from an inner pocket. Holding it, he walked toward the tent set up before the town gate.

As mentioned earlier, Naspar still possessed one tiny draw for outsiders, and that draw was the Adventurer Training School.

When the Demon King of Tyranny still existed, the various nations had funded the construction of many supporting facilities in Naspar in order to cultivate enough qualified personnel. Naturally, schools for training people were among them. Even though the town had now declined, some people still came to enroll every year.

The reason was simple. The existence of the Demon King of Tyranny had greatly advanced the professionalization of adventuring. The days when someone could carry a sword, call themselves an adventurer, and run off to accept commissions were long gone.

Now, anyone who wanted to become an adventurer needed to hold a qualification certificate. There were usually only two ways to obtain one.

The first was to successfully graduate from an adventurer school. The second was to pass a rigorous examination.

Leaving aside the difficulty of the latter examination, the processing fee alone was a huge sum. The former required two years at school before graduation, but it was much cheaper and allowed students to learn practical skills, making it the first choice for most people.

Pei Renli needed information, and he also needed a concrete way to stay alive. Becoming an adventurer was an excellent choice.

Due to standardization and professionalization, adventurers possessed certain privileges in almost every nation. Even after the Demon King of Tyranny disappeared, those privileges had not been completely revoked.

If he wanted to understand this plane and the Multiverse World as quickly and safely as possible, having the identity of an adventurer would save him a great deal of trouble. Moreover, adventurer schools also taught professional skills.

No matter how much one talked, being able to fight was what truly mattered. No matter how professionalized or standardized things became, strength would always be an adventurer's highest priority.

Thus, one could learn magic or martial skills at an adventurer school. Pei Renli had to do everything possible to increase his chances of survival before he was thrown into the Demon King Arena again. After discussing it with Lavna, she recommended that he attend the Adventurer Training School.

Simply put, it was basically a vocational school.

That said, Naspar truly had declined. The Adventurer Training School was not unique to this place, and there really were not many people willing to come to a town on the edge of civilization.

Including accompanying personnel, there appeared to be only around a hundred people gathered around the "registration desk" at the gate. It was hard to be optimistic about how much longer a school like this could remain open.

There was no helping it. Lavna had only been to Naspar and knew nothing about towns farther away, so Pei Renli had only one option.

Wrapped in his cloak, he easily blended into the crowd.

Although he had learned from Lavna that this world was not inhabited solely by humans, seeing it with his own eyes was still different from merely hearing about it.

Besides the elves and dwarves commonly found in fantasy stories, Pei Renli also saw halflings who looked like normal people scaled down to half size, gnomes with abnormally large arms and heads but very short bodies, beastmen with animal-like ears on their heads, and quite a few people like Lavna with a pair of horns on their foreheads.

He even saw a tabby catman that looked like a humanoid cat. Not a cat-eared girl, but an actual cat forcibly molded into human form.

Furry fans rejoice!

There were also many other races, some whose names he knew and some whose names he did not. It was an extremely diverse sight.

Though it was fascinating, Pei Renli tried his best not to look overly curious, lest he attract unnecessary attention.

There were not many people in line to register. After less than five or six minutes, it was Pei Renli's turn.

He stepped forward and saw an unidentified object resembling a globe placed on the table beneath the tent. It sat on a tray connected to something similar to a mechanical typewriter.

"Please place your hand here."

The staff member pointed at the "globe."

"We'll measure your abilities."

Here it was—the classic transmigration-story scene!