Funeral and Treehouse

As the tribe's people sank into revelry over the wedding, an old man quietly passed from this world.

The dead were gone, but the living still had to strive for what lay ahead. Though their hearts were heavy with grief, they still had to consider how to make the utmost use of this matter.

The tribe had never had clear funeral rites before; the dead had always simply been buried hastily where they lay.

The Rune Council intended to seize this opportunity to establish the relevant standards once and for all, while also rallying the people's hearts.

With that in mind, discussions concerning the Old Witch Doctor's funeral arrangements continued for several lamp-hours, covering everything from burial standards to the form the ceremony would take.

By the time their discussions ended and they dispersed, the revelry outside had also come to an end, and the entire tribe had returned to silence.

Only the occasional sound of patrols marching past made it seem like this was a living settlement.

Blade Tusk and his newlywed wife did not return to his residence.

It was too close to the Old Witch Doctor's house, while Meiya's residence was a little farther away.

After entering the room, even though the side effects of the meditation contract had already begun to surface, the two merely embraced and lay down together with restraint.

They spoke of magic, of the Old Witch Doctor, of politics, and of the future. Their voices went from slow and steady, to intermittent, and finally vanished altogether.

Before he knew it, Blade Tusk had fallen into a deep sleep.

Lying on her side in his arms, Meiya looked at her husband's face, faintly fierce in the darkness, and at the pair of fangs no less imposing than a warrior's.

She could not help but think, He clearly looks almost like one of those brutes. So why is he so different from everyone else?

She was deeply drawn to him. Even though she knew full well that the "oath" had played a part in it, she was still willing to savor it gladly.

Because this was a choice they had made together.

After quietly watching him for a long while, Meiya leaned closer and gently kissed her husband's fang. Only then did she find a comfortable position and close her eyes.

The darkness soon passed. The rising sun did not slow its steps for the slight changes upon the earth, and rose as usual the next day.

"Wake up. It's morning."

In the morning, Blade Tusk woke to his wife's neither-gentle-nor-harsh call. He did not know when he had fallen asleep the night before, but he swore it had been the soundest sleep since his reincarnation.

Over the next few days, nearly every member of the tribe fell into grief over the Old Witch Doctor's death.

He had lived for a long time. Too many Trolls had grown up under the old man's care from the moment they were born.

The Old Witch Doctor's funeral was designed to be solemn yet frugal.

At the very center of the tribe, Witch Doctor Square—once that little courtyard—had been turned into a raised platform with earth magic;

The Old Witch Doctor's body was washed clean and dressed in splendid garments he had never worn in life, then laid quietly upon a massive bier woven from magical vines;

Under the gaze of all the people, witch doctors, witch doctor apprentices, and Trolls such as the governor surrounded the bier and slowly carried it to the center of the platform.

Next, the Head Witch Doctor, the Middle Witch Doctor, the governor, Blade Tusk, and the others took the stage one after another to deliver speeches and eulogies;

They led the people to recall hardship and cherish the sweetness that followed, speaking of the Old Witch Doctor's devotion, the tribe's stumbling journey, the brightness of the future, and the importance of the present.

In short, their grief had already ended the night before.

What they were doing today was fulfilling the duties of their positions—making use of every opportunity to push the tribe's civilization one step forward.

So today's funeral was more like a "show."

It became a platform for the few core figures—Sharp Tusk, Rough Tusk, Blade Tusk, the governor, and the handful of elite warriors who had caught on—to stir the people's emotions and instill their values.

And the simple Trolls, who had never seen so many twists and turns, turned their grief into strength and threw themselves enthusiastically into the great construction effort.

Whether or not the funeral had been utilitarian, at least its results were quite good.

Sure enough, in just a few days, an actual result was brought before Blade Tusk.

"Witch Doctor Blade Tusk, please look. This is the 'multifunctional family treehouse' we designed."

The witch doctor in charge of the "treehouse" design was currently leading his small team as he pointed at the colossal thing that stood abruptly ahead of them.

It was a tree roughly over thirty meters tall and six or seven meters thick. Perhaps because its branches and leaves were too lush, Blade Tusk could not see any structure resembling the "treehouse" he had imagined.

"It's huge, but where's the house?" he asked doubtfully.

After the team explained, he came to understand what kind of "treehouse" this was.

Above the trunk was a canopy that clearly occupied several times more space than those of other trees;

The branches within had been fashioned into a vine-like structure, tangling together to form hollow chambers;

The largest hollow at the center of the canopy was a "master bedroom" designed specifically for a married couple, furnished with a large enough double vine bed;

Near the top of the canopy was a "meditation room," furnished with vine tables and chairs, which also seemed to serve as a "study";

Several separate spaces lay around the front, back, left, and right sides of the canopy, which could become a "dining room" or "storeroom" as needed.

Seeing this, Blade Tusk was certainly surprised by how vastly different the thing was from the "treehouse" he had imagined;

But honestly, he did not feel much delight. It was nothing more than a stacking of "plant" spells: full-state acceleration, localized vine transformation, and twisting within a limited area. Other than being rather troublesome, there was nothing much to speak of.

As for the result, whether it was beautiful was hard to say, but in terms of functionality, space utilization, lighting, and other aspects, it truly had little practical value.

With such a massive size, yet only housing a single married couple, this was simply too...

However, it seemed he had reached that conclusion a little too early.

First, the leading Witch Doctor demonstrated its "controllability."

For each of the tree's "rooms," they had designed sufficiently convenient, modular control methods.

For example, if you wanted to enjoy a bit of romance beneath the stars at night, you could keep holding your wife, recite a short spell, and make a simple motion with your fingers. The entire master bedroom—or the bed alone—would be lifted into the air, allowing you to wage a wild battle beneath the sky and upon the earth at the treetop.

Furthermore, although the master bedroom's original position was buried deep in the very center of the canopy, lighting was no concern at all. Not only could it be achieved by moving the room itself, but even simpler commands could open "windows" in different directions, letting in more sunlight.

The "meditation room" at the top could likewise roam throughout the canopy, and in consideration of the privacy needed for meditation, it had been designed to split apart.

Most uniquely of all, there was a waste channel directly connected to the roots, a water supply system likewise handled by the roots, and a series of ventilation and cleaning functions. They had actually designed a relatively practical "washroom"?

Looking at the sink, bathing facilities, and "toilet" before him, then recalling the various functions he had been shown earlier, Blade Tusk realized he was genuinely drawn in.

The designer said that was not all, then led Blade Tusk out of the "washroom," across suspended stairs and passageways woven from vines, and back into the master bedroom.

Pointing at the recessed sections in the walls, he said, "We altered part of the tree's output. It will secrete oil into these grooves, and thin, flammable twigs extend from within. They only need to be lit with magic or a fire source. The yield is not high, but it is enough to support the lighting of every room."

After roughly finishing his introduction, he added with undisguised regret, "It's just a pity that houses with such complex structures currently seem suited only for us Witch Doctors. Almost all of their expanded functions are no more than decorations without the aid of spellcasting ability."

"Indeed, what a pity. But from the sound of it, there are also ones with 'simple structures'?"

"Yes. We would discard the complex road system and integrate the vast majority of the 'functional rooms' into a single whole, separating them internally with walls and doors, while leaving fixed lighting openings on all four sides. Then the treehouse as a whole would not need to be so tall, and its canopy would shrink several times over. In extreme cases, it could even support planting one every fifteen meters."

Wouldn't that be an aerial villa and an aerial detached house?