Growth has stopped.
Just as humans stop growing when they reach a certain height, the size of a tree's clones also has an upper limit.
As growth reached its limit, Mu En deliberately cut off the energy absorption, and the Levitation Stone Necklace calmed down.
Seemingly because too much energy had been extracted, the crystal had become much dimmer.
Mu En tried to communicate with him telepathically, but received no response, seemingly due to his extreme weakness.
Fortunately, he saw wisps of energy gathering from the air toward the Volucite. Since it could replenish itself automatically, it shouldn't break down like this.
Therefore, Mu En didn't pay any attention to the Volucite spirit for the time being, and he didn't have time to deal with it either.
He's absolutely ecstatic right now!
The last time I experienced this vibrant, burgeoning life, this feeling of being able to stretch my body freely, was when I was a human in my past life.
Mu En finally understood the essential difference between this "tree clone" and the "original tree" in the Valley of the Wind.
Like those Minor Erdtree in the Lands Between, they are living trees, not crystalline mimics of the original.
This means that he can control the body's movements to some extent.
For example, we could make the branches extend and the roots meander freely underground; in the future, we might even be able to create a movable " Erdtree Avatar incarnation."
He, Erdtree Mu En, is finally able to stand up and fight!
Meanwhile, another new discovery stirred his emotions even more.
That means he can absorb—no, plunder—the energy of the Volucite.
In the Valley of the Valley of the Wind, apart from the sunlight that he cannot absorb, there is almost nothing that can be called "natural energy".
In the Castle in the Sky world, as soon as he planted his roots into the earth, he clearly sensed the energy veins in the rock layers below.
Through his roots, he can actively extract this energy and transform it into Rune.
However, these are only small parts; the energy contributed by the mineral vein is less than one-tenth.
The true source of energy, supporting his unbridled expansion of size, was the Volucite crystal on Sheeta's chest.
The energy there was unfathomable; Mu En didn't even bother to calculate how much she had absorbed.
He only knew that if he relied solely on the few believers in the Valley of the Wind, he probably wouldn't be able to reach that level even after praying for a hundred years.
Mu En suddenly remembered a famous conspiracy theory about the Erdtree from her past life.
The Erdtree is a "plunderer," a shepherd who parasitizes the world and turns everything into nourishment.
Although that theory was later disproven by the completion of the chain of evidence, his tree clone truly became a plundering machine, capable of indiscriminately extracting the world's "specialties".
Of course, this " Minor Erdtree " is not without its flaws.
A clone is just a clone; no matter how big it grows, its importance can never compare to the original.
Mu En knew that once his main body in the Valley of the Wind died, he would perish directly, and having multiple clones would be pointless.
The purpose of the clones must be more than just expanding territory; there must be some way to transfer these massive amounts of Rune back to the main body.
Once the main body gains the support of the Castle in the Sky, or even the Rune of other worlds------
Thinking of this, Mu En couldn't help but chuckle deep within her consciousness.
"However, we need to fulfill our promise first; hopefully, it's not too late—"
At the crossroads.
Everyone, whether they were lying injured, being bandaged, or standing in a daze.
Whether they were miners, village girls, or soldiers who had been tied up.
They all froze in place, looking up at the giant tree that seemed to have stepped out of mythology, their minds blank.
At that moment, Mu En projected his voice directly into all the souls.
People of this world, listen to my voice.
[I am the embodiment of the Golden Order, and from this day forward, I shall take root here.]
Those who believe in me will receive protection; those who follow me will receive power.
Wherever faith reaches, calamities recede, wounds heal, and life flourishes.
As soon as the words were spoken, a massive wave of golden energy swept across the entire town!
As the waves swept by, the changes first appeared on those wounded who were bleeding profusely and on the verge of death.
They were the most seriously injured, so they were the first to be cared for by Mu En.
Soon people discovered that the injured person's wounds were healing rapidly.
The bullet was pushed out of the body by the muscles, the torn flesh closed up, the wound seemed to be stitched up by invisible needles and threads, and in the end only pale pink new skin was left.
All those injured in the conflict have fully recovered.
Next came the disabled.
The miner, who lost his fingers in the accident, stared wide-eyed as he watched his five fingers, which had long since left him, grow back segment by segment, accompanied by intense numbness and itching.
Then an old miner suddenly bent over and coughed violently, spitting out large chunks of thick black phlegm, which was mineral dust that had accumulated in his lungs for decades.
He tried to take a deep breath, and the air filled every alveolus without any obstruction. The feeling that had accompanied him for more than 20 years, where every breath required all his strength, disappeared without a trace.
"My... my pneumoconiosis..." the old man murmured, tears streaming down his deeply lined face. "Is it cured?"
Similar scenes are playing out on the streets.
A deaf miner suddenly heard his family calling; a mechanic's fingertips, which had turned white and numb from long-term vibration, regained their color; a lame boy found himself able to stand steadily on the ground.
Even those who weren't injured felt refreshed and full of energy.
Soldiers and townspeople, workers and air pirates—everyone was treated equally, and all were blessed and healed by this golden wave.
Silence enveloped the Valley Town.
People look down at their bodies and witness those old injuries and ailments that had plagued them for years and were considered incurable disappear Silencio.
Health is such a luxury for miners.
But now, by any medical standard, the more than one thousand residents of Valley Town can be considered "benchmarks of healthy humans."
There were no external injuries, no chronic diseases, no occupational injuries, and even congenital defects were corrected by divine power.
The deathly silence lasted only a moment before a deafening roar erupted.
"Father! You can stand up now!"
"My ears—I can hear again?"
"A miracle! This is a miracle!"
Some people hugged their recovered relatives and wept bitterly, while others stood there stunned and at a loss.
But soon, everyone's attention turned to the towering golden tree on the south side of the town.
For the townspeople who make a living in the mines and earn their living through physical labor, the logic is simple.
They will be good to those who are good to them.
The high and mighty lords in the city only knew how to drive down prices for ore and levy taxes, but this suddenly appearing Divine Tree healed all their injuries and illnesses and gave them healthy bodies.
It's unclear who started it, but the townspeople, like wheat fields bent by the wind, bowed to the Erdtree.
The miners took off their hats, which were covered in coal dust, and pressed them tightly to their chests; the women clasped their hands together and Incantations softly; and the children had their heads gently bowed by the adults.
Even the soldiers completely gave up resistance, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.
The gods have already descended upon this remote valley town.
At the top of the tree canopy, on a platform built by Mu En specifically for Pazu and Sheeta, the two children stood side by side.
A strong wind was blowing continuously; this was three hundred meters above the ground.
But the scenery here is beautiful, offering a panoramic view of almost the entire Y-shaped Railway Valley.
A commotion drifted from the streets below as townspeople, recovering from their injuries, bowed in reverence to the Erdtree, their grateful shouts carried on the wind into the sky.
"Look, Sheeta, thanks to you, everyone in Valley Town has received divine help."
Pazu turned to look at the girl, worried that she was still blaming herself for what had happened before.
Seeing Pazu's dazed expression, Sheeta smiled, a smile as bright as the sunlight breaking through the clouds.
"Yes! I know." She nodded vigorously and grasped Pazu's hand.
The two children looked at each other and smiled, their laughter carrying far on the wind.