Time flies; two full weeks have passed since the recruit induction ceremony, and September is drawing to a close.
The Golden Forest.
This forest now truly lives up to its name, as most of it is covered in golden light.
Click...
Subtle sounds emanated from all parts of Mu En's massive body, ceaselessly.
That was the sound of growth, the sound of his own domain expanding.
The roots, like a neural network, meander through the soil, weaving a giant web that covers the entire Valley of the Valley of the Wind forest and continues to expand outward.
At the same time, its main trunk is also growing taller, and every branch is constantly stretching upwards and outwards.
Mu En carefully sensed the changes in this body.
Thanks to the power of faith provided day after day by more than 700 believers for a full month since the Festival of Grace celebrations began.
This growth has never stopped for a moment.
Today, Mu En's canopy has exceeded the average height of the surrounding forest, reaching fifteen meters.
The underground root system is far more developed than that of the above-ground parts.
For most plants, the ratio of root length to trunk height is typically between one and three times.
But the extent of Mu En's roots has long since far surpassed this proportion.
The main root extends nearly 100 meters underground, while the furthest tendrils reach down to the bottom of the cliffs on both sides, covering a radius of at least 500 meters.
Within this range, he can sense his surroundings at will and exert his power.
As his size continued to grow, his understanding and control over this body also deepened.
Judging from its appearance alone, it is a golden tree, radiating a soft golden light.
However, upon closer inspection, one will discover that the "bark" hidden beneath the golden light has a faintly translucent texture.
The body appears to be composed of some kind of inorganic crystal, but it has been meticulously replicated to resemble the shape and texture of a tree.
It has no cellular structure, let alone fibers and meridians.
This is also why he can't imitate the "tree" in some works and stand up to hit people.
But there was one thing that Mu En found very puzzling.
Even without biological characteristics, he still cannot be immune to the toxins in the air.
Humans have survived in the apocalypse for nearly a thousand years. Apart from an average lifespan of less than fifty years and some people suffering from Sea of Corruption Disease, they can generally live normally.
But he couldn't; once exposed to air, the toxins would violently corrode his body like sulfuric acid.
The golden field that now surrounds him, about thirty meters in diameter, is the Rune barrier he released specifically to resist the toxins.
Otherwise, he could simply turn off the lights to save energy.
Thanks to the continuous supply of Rune from believers and those Blessed, he was able to fight the toxins while maintaining his growth.
Therefore, in Mu En's view, whether it is the people of Valley of the Wind, the Pejite immigrants, or even the people of the Torumekian Empire, they are all essentially valuable potential "energy sources".
On the point of "inclusivity," he shares the same idea as a certain brother-obsessed demigod.
He accepts anyone who offers faith.
If he had the opportunity to spread the Erdtree faith throughout the Empire in the future, he wouldn't mind accepting those Imperials.
Thanks to this attitude, and with the combined efforts of Nausicaä, Meila, and Eliana, the immigrants and the native inhabitants of the Valley of the Wind got along well.
At this moment, on the open ground outside the valley, most of the drafty tents have been replaced by simple wooden huts.
These log cabins are constructed with log frames, wooden plank walls, and waterproof tarpaulins on the roofs.
Not only is it quick to build, but it can also be used to shelter from the wind and rain, making it much better than a tent.
Incidentally, the timber used to build the house was also produced using the Erdtree's Favor.
Because tree roots can extend below the sand layer to draw nutrients and water, even barren sandy land can nurture mature trees.
Mu En even began to consider whether to directly cultivate a large protective forest in the desert outside the valley.
The Valley of the Wind is only this big.
Assuming that valuable farmland is not encroached upon and that no high-rise buildings are constructed beyond current technological capabilities, the maximum capacity is only one or two thousand people.
But Mu En's plans for the future go far beyond this; he wants to attract more people to settle in the Valley of the Wind.
He needed them, whether they were craftsmen, scholars, explorers, or even refugees.
Their labor is needed to build the territory, their intelligence is needed to drive technological development, and they also need to provide more power of faith.
At that time, we will definitely have to find a way to expand the living area.
They either had to expand up the mountain, carving out cave dwellings or building suspended houses, or they had to establish new settlements directly in the desert outside the valley.
"Make a note of this, we'll talk about it when we really need more housing."
Mu En added the "Desert Greening Plan" to the end of his to-do list.
After temporarily setting aside the issue of his place of residence, he turned his attention to other matters.
For example, you can check the progress of various tasks within the valley through the Blessing Link.
Through the Rune energy channel between the Erdtree and the Blessed, he can project his perception onto his people, thus expanding his vision.
When switching perspectives to check on her subjects, Mu En always felt like she was watching a short video.
It's just that it's been upgraded from a two-dimensional screen to an immersive 5D perspective.
Therefore, this is one of the few "entertainment activities" that Mu En has now.
His first focus was on the " Law Application Research Department ".
Gol and the ten blessing artisans he selected have now fully mastered the six basic Incantations.
Industrial research has stalled due to depleted inventories of raw materials such as metals and chemicals.
Therefore, their current task, with Nausicaä's assistance, is to continuously try and develop new methods for applying Incantations.
After all this commotion, they've actually come up with some new tricks.
Because they have long used " Wrath of Gold " to forge iron, the craftsmen are most skilled at using this Incantations.
Although the range of the Wrath of Gold released with one hand is smaller, it can still generate a controllable impact force measured in "tons," otherwise it would be impossible to stamp the gun parts into shape.
So the question is, how effective would this technique—which is fast to unleash, consumes relatively little energy, and can increase the unarmed destructive power of an ordinary Blessed by hundreds of times—be in combat?
Thus, the new Incantations [ Golden Power Hammer ] was born...
When Mu En first heard this name, she felt it was full of flaws.
But the craftsmen called it that way, so Mu En let them be.
The name is a bit down-to-earth, but its practical value is undeniable.
According to Gol's experiments, although the consumption is higher than that of the "shield" and "sword", the "hammer" can be used in battle without having to stand still and pose.
Using this technique to deliver a punch, one can instantly flatten ordinary armor or tear apart a training stake as thick as a thigh, without injuring oneself.
Imagine if Blessed Warrior suddenly unleashed a "Power Hammer" in close combat; it could instantly incapacitate most opponents, or even kill them.
Inspired by this, Mu En himself drew parallels and recalled Incantations that had left a "deep" impression on him.
That was a high-end application of Wrath of Gold, gathering power in front of the body and then launching it like a cannonball, detonating it at a distance to create a large-scale shockwave.
Thus, it became [ the Wrath from Afar ].