Thorn Forest (Part Two)

As sunlight streamed in, the Light Orb within the space lit up as well, and Romon let out a sigh of relief.

Only then did Romon carefully examine his memories.

Time seemed to come to a halt. When Romon recalled a piece of information about Druids, ripples immediately spread through the space within the Shennong Horn. The plants growing there stretched their stems and leaves, swaying as specks of green light drifted out.

A gentle breeze slowly passed through the space, making the grass rustle.

If one listened carefully, the faint, rising and falling rustling sounds gathered into a kind of music. As the music flowed, his body seemed to loosen as well, as though he were relaxing amid the grass. The feeling was wonderfully soothing, and before he knew it, Romon had lain down in the grass.

This feeling of resonating with nature was truly difficult to describe. Accompanied by it, Romon could neither open his eyes nor move his body, as if it had been filled with lead. Lying there, dazed, he seemed to have returned to his former world.

There, the experiences of his life passed before him one by one. In particular, he remembered joining the Green Alliance and taking part in environmental protection work—visiting grasslands and forests, protesting against companies engaged in rampant logging. Those had been such passionate years.

Romon did not notice that whenever he recalled those memories of protecting greenery, the specks of green light rushing toward him grew much denser. Not only within the space, but outside it as well, threads of green light slowly flowed from the forest into his body.

The energy passed through his hand, and feeling gradually returned to his left hand. It passed through his shoulder, and his shoulder regained sensation. Then it flowed toward his chest, gathering there in greater and greater amounts. Yet Romon did not want to break free from this feeling...

Suddenly, his mind exploded with a boom, and a green core appeared. Seven or eight mysterious incantations emerged with it. Every sentence was obscure and difficult to understand, yet their meaning was perfectly clear at the same time.

These incantations seemed to describe the feeling of nature, especially plants—an ancient language that had existed since the creation of this world and changed along with nature.

Romon naturally understood the meanings of these incantations, but he also understood that he could only choose three for now, because this was all the power he possessed.

Nature Sense I: A Druid establishes a stable connection with nature.

Wild Empathy I: Through Nature Sense, a Druid can form a certain connection with animals and plants, sensing their vague emotions.

Life Companion: You may choose an animal and form a life link with it, allowing both sides to share power.

Romon quickly chose those three. Once he had chosen them, the remaining natural power did not disappear at once. Instead, it gradually gathered in his eyes.

Back when he possessed the Shennong Horn, he had the power of Spirit Sight and could see the aura of plants.

In that instant, his eyes seemed to have been elevated to an incredible realm. Everything before him abruptly became so clear, so bright, that even the tiniest particles of aura were plainly visible.

He did not know how long he had been lying there. He only knew that the natural power gradually faded, everything became ordinary again, and the sensation in his eyes slowly diminished until it settled at a certain limit.

At his mental summons, a faint, tiny point of light suddenly appeared before him. It rapidly expanded into a translucent information window that floated in his field of vision with a faint glow. A great deal of data appeared before Qian Ming's eyes.

Name: Qian Pinji (Romon)

Profession: First Authority Holder of the Space, Level 1 Druid

Life Race: Human

Life Attributes: Strength 10 (10), Agility 15 (10), Constitution 10 (10), Intelligence 13 (10), Perception 15 (10), Charisma 15 (10)

Skill: Permanently Imprinted—Detect Aura

"Permanently Imprinted—Detect Aura?" Romon murmured as he read the final entry. He stood up, and with only a little concentration, he could see the aura of plants.

But when he looked toward the sun, an intense white light shone into his eyes, bringing tears to them at once. Romon chuckled, realizing he had been rash. He closed his eyes for a moment before recovering.

When he looked more carefully, he discovered that a layer of green light, about one centimeter thick, covered his body. Under the influence of that green light, the trees in the forest swayed slightly and gave off faint, joyful sighs.

"Heart of Nature! Heart of Nature!" A surge of wild delight rose within him. Romon was startled and searched his memories for a while, only to realize that this was an unconscious instinct of the original soul.

After examining his memories, he learned that this green aura was the Heart of Nature. Once a Druid comprehended nature, a layer of green light would form around them. This green light allowed a Druid to communicate with natural power, and it would grow stronger as they advanced.

When he checked further, he found that the memories ended there. After all, the original owner had only been a Druid Apprentice and did not know much. Nothing else could be unearthed, though the memories of the adventuring party had surfaced.

"Damn it, they actually threw me here and ran off." Romon said it aloud, but he did not feel much hatred. Naturally, he did not know what had happened after he fell unconscious. "I need to get back to town quickly. Spending the night in the forest is no fun."

With that thought, Romon quickened his pace. Strangely enough, a faint, indistinct sensation guided him along the way, leading him toward town by the nearest and safest route.

After hurrying on, the sun gradually sank. At last, before sunset, he reached the outskirts of town.

It was a small town situated at the edge of the sea and forest. A river wound through it, bringing fresh water to the town before stretching onward to the distant ocean.

Just five hundred meters beyond the town stood the dense forest.

Living off the mountain when near the mountain, off the water when near the water, and off the forest when near the forest, the area naturally had many logging yards. Thick logs were piled across the floors of the workshops.

Timber was Rika Town's largest trade. Vast quantities of lumber and wooden products were transported from here to the kingdom's major ports for export. However, logging was not unrestricted.

The Druids living in the forest and town imposed certain limits.

Because it stood close to the forest, most of the town's buildings were wooden houses. There were only a few stone residences in the entire town, but the town wall rising before him was quite imposing.

The wall stood four meters high and one and a half meters thick, built from massive logs and stone blocks. It was not designed for beauty, only durability. Wild grass grew thickly from its gaps, and there were also guarded arrow towers.

It was nearly time for the town gates to close. The sky had already begun turning a dim, dark purple. Before long, the stars and moon would surely appear.

Romon hurried to the town gate.

"Is that Romon?" When he reached the gate, Kosge, one of the guards at the town wall and an acquaintance of his, called out, "The gate will be closed soon. Why are you so late today?"

Romon looked at the sky and said, "Ugh, my luck was awful. I went into the forest with that group of adventurers, but somehow we got separated."

"Oh, that was too dangerous. Hurry inside. The shift is about to change."

Romon hurried in. The guards were already shouting as they began pushing the heavy iron gates shut. Naturally, they all needed to take turns going back to rest.

The guards are always like this, Romon complained inwardly without much conviction.

Once he entered town, he sensed that something was off. From a distance, he saw a Dwarf walking down the street.

Although there were many intelligent races in the world, it was still rare to see one in town. For the newly awakened Romon, it was his first time seeing one, so he studied him carefully. The Dwarf wore scale armor, a leather belt around his waist, and carried a heavy battle axe on his back.

The moment Romon saw the Dwarf and his battle axe, his eyes lit up. "This world really has Dwarves and Dwarf warriors!"

Muttering to himself, he nodded repeatedly as he watched, though a trace of doubt arose in his heart.

Based on his memories, the town was almost entirely populated by humans, and even adventuring parties were rare. When had so many adventurers come here? Even Dwarves had arrived. Could something have happened in Thorn Forest? He frowned, unable to make sense of it for the moment.

As the moonlight gradually brightened, Romon headed toward the inn.

Motte Inn stood on the western side of town. Motte had inherited it from his father, who had inherited it from his own father. It had already been passed down for three generations and had existed for nearly fifty years.

The inn's wooden structure was of excellent quality, and it must have taken considerable effort to build back then, which was why it was still usable now. However, garlic, cured meat, and sausages hung from the roof and walls, filling the air with a heavy mixed scent.

Yet everyone there, whether the owner or the travelers, seemed accustomed to it. Below hung a dim oil lamp that, when lit, barely illuminated the entire hall.

"Romon, you're back?" As soon as he entered, a middle-aged man in a white undershirt shouted. He was coming out from the back, carrying over a barrel of beer. His hair and beard were both long.

"I'm here, boss." This man was Motte, and Romon hurried over to help him.

The original Romon remembered nothing from before the age of seven. He had wandered for a time, but fortunately Motte and his wife had taken him in. The couple ran an inn. They had no good food to give him, and the clothes he wore were patched and mended, but he had never complained. After all, he had experienced the terrifying misery of hunger and sleeping outdoors. Compared to that, this life was paradise.

Although he was now a Druid Apprentice, he still remembered their kindness and helped Motte and his wife.

"Oh! Romon, allow me to offer my sincerest welcome, honorable Druid!" There was no doubt that this was Ford, the town's famous drunkard. He was often blind drunk, and ever since he learned that Romon had become a Druid Apprentice, he had frequently spoken in that mocking tone.

Romon unconsciously shrugged. He saw no point in getting tangled up with the man. He looked around the inn—people like Ford were rare in town, after all, since food and drink at the inn were relatively expensive and ordinary people did not usually come here.

But perhaps for the same reason as before, there were quite a few people in the inn now. Two adventuring parties had taken tables and were drinking.