Though somewhat reluctant, Queen Ysera still led the group into the Emerald Dream. As they stepped out of the green vortex, their first impression was that this place was far too natural.
The air was filled with a somewhat wild, untamed scent: damp earth, dew on leaves, and the smells of all kinds of small animals living within the dream.
Azeroth before any intelligent creatures had ever visited it probably smelled like this. Su Ming was not entirely sure, but for humans, this primal rainforest-like odor clearly did not fall into the category of "pleasant."
As everyone knew, rainforests always carried a decaying smell. After fallen leaves or dead plants hit the ground and soaked in rainwater, they gradually formed a thick layer of humus over time.
The less inhabited a place was, the thicker the rotting matter atop the soil. And in hot, humid rainforests, moisture steeped in decay evaporated again, carrying those odor molecules straight into people's nostrils.
The Emerald Dream truly was springlike all year round, and every plant here was lush and flourishing, but that did not mean they never shed leaves.
Even with the Druids' attentive care, plants had lifespans. Nature's food chain needed to cycle as well. After all, if flowers, grass, and trees never decayed, how would all the insects that fed on rotting wood survive?
So while Ysera herself smelled quite nice, the Emerald Dream had the odor of a public bathhouse the moment one entered it.
"Whew!" Hermione covered her nose and breathed through her mouth as much as possible. Clearly, this was experience she had picked up from the greenhouse during Herbology class. "Professor, should we pick up the pace?"
Amber and Yrel were doing better. Though they were somewhat unaccustomed to the environment, the magnificent trees around them, the