He looked at the somewhat shocked Living Wood:
"Please help me if you can."
"No, please allow me to refuse."
After a moment's thought, Living Wood replied with a hint of apology, "[ Howling Pothos ]".
The person whose soul Soul Returner had some suspicions, so he asked:
Could you please tell me the reason?
The Living Wood waved its branches:
"I want to protect my family."
For a family-oriented person like myself, this reason is indeed impeccable.
[ Howling Pothos ] was unwilling and unable to persuade the other party to give up their family and help him save Fir City; he couldn't do something as easy as talking without understanding the situation.
but...
It seems there really is a way...
He looked at the Living Wood and asked seriously:
"If my companion and I can get your whole family to safety, can you help us?"
Living Wood was clearly quite interested in the proposal, but it still maintained a clear mind and an instinctive skepticism:
How do I know you're not another group of bad guys?
This is where self-proof is required.
[ Howling Pothos ] wanted to say that they weren't bad people, but then she remembered the High-Quality Charcoal Processing Plant, this otherworldly concentration camp, and the words stuck in her throat.
After several attempts to speak, he simply nodded and admitted it:
"We are a gang of bad guys. We destroy cities, arrest and detain people, and kill some disobedient guys, but we only target the bad guys in the Tree Worship Church."
"In other words, we are worse than them, but it doesn't affect your family members or other ordinary people much."
"Don't you want revenge? Or don't you want to become human again and see your family? The leader of our evil organization is quite skilled in this area; perhaps he can help with your condition. Oh, by the way, he was an experimental subject who escaped from a town's jail, so he treats those of you similar to him very well."
Upon hearing this, Living Wood was finally completely moved.
Deep down, it was willing to believe the person in front of it, after all, the other party had pointed out a path for it in just a few words, a path that could both avenge it and reunite it with its family.
But ultimately, the other party still failed to prove this.
[ Howling Pothos ] thought for a moment, then began to burn blood to show off his talents. In the Living Wood's vision, he first took out a folding knife out of thin air, then quickly fired two crossbow bolts forward, and finally covered his right hand with a layer of highly flexible bark armor.
Even the priests who transformed them would find it difficult to do this in such a short time. Although this doesn't actually prove anything, Living Wood instinctively felt that the other party wasn't lying to him, just as an incredibly powerful force wouldn't lie about trivial matters.
This evil organization seems to be able to operate without doing such cruel things.
It intended to trust the other party, but it wasn't enough for only it to trust them; these worst of the worst people also needed to gain the trust of its family.
"I can trust you, but you need to make sure my family is taken to a safe place."
"It definitely will."
[ Howling Pothos ]'s tone carried a hint of pride:
"Now, only Fir City remains outside the Second Holy See's control of the entire Aduolin Province. They may think the outside is full of danger, but in fact, the inside of the city is far more dangerous than the outside."
In layman's terms, it means that after removing the umbrella, they realized it wasn't raining at all Fir City.
Is there any way to get your family to trust us?
[ Howling Pothos ] also believes that it's impossible for a person with a normal mind to believe them immediately, so it's more or less necessary to have something that only family members know.
Living Wood thought for a moment and said:
"My name is Enzo. I have a mom, dad, and a sister. If you want them to believe you, you can tell them that I've been hiding the seeds I've collected inside the hollow bed frame... That should be about it. You can improvise the rest, but I need to see proof that they're safe before I can cooperate with you."
This sounded as strange as "I'll only give you money if you release the hostages," but [ Howling Pothos ] couldn't think of a better idea for the moment, so she could only ask:
"Is it okay if I write it by hand?"
Enzo the Tree Man shook his head:
I can't read.
Damn it, being uncultured is really getting you killed!
[ Howling Pothos ] mentally complained about the average level of education in this other world. He couldn't very well have two Soldier Bee airlift the tree spirit away, only to send it back after finding its family safe, could he?
The Soldier Bee are being very careful with their pick-up and drop-off, but they still can't avoid being noticed. It's clear that this method of entry and exit will become even more difficult in the near future.
[ Howling Pothos ] had no other choice but to say:
"Since you have a way to gain our trust in your family, your family should have a similar way to gain our trust in you. After we've settled them in, my companions will ask this question, and then we should have evidence."
Enzo the Tree Man nodded:
"That makes sense, we can do that first. So when can you begin?"
[ Howling Pothos ] is brimming with confidence:
"Now."
The tree-man looked at the horizon and shook his head:
"It's almost dawn, there's no time."
"There's enough time, an hour should be enough."
Seeing that the other party was determined to take action immediately, Enzo felt that the human in front of him was quite sincere.
But seeing the other person knocking on his door like that, he was still a little timid, so he found a roadside tree and disguised himself as a real roadside tree, afraid that his ugly appearance would be displayed to his family.
A Glimmer of Light appeared in the completely dark room. Footsteps approached the door, but instead of opening it, the person asked warily:
"Who is it? There's a curfew now, so just say what you need."
It sounded like a somewhat weathered female voice, undoubtedly Enzo's mother.
"Are you a family member of Father Enzo?"
[ Howling Pothos ] asked in a kind tone.
"It's Enzo's house, but the priest..."
"Yes, your son has passed the examination and become a proud priest."
The voice inside the door suddenly became a little more excited:
"Really? Did he come along too? Are priests exempt from curfew...?"
The voice switched to a male voice:
"I'm sorry, priest, it's curfew now, we cannot open the door for you."
Good, good, Howling Pothos. This is the first time I've seen a local with such a strong sense of vigilance. They're not on the same level as those easily fooled villagers.
He thought for a moment and replied:
"Can we open the door when the curfew ends? I'm here to pick you up. Father Enzo has a stable job now, and we need to take you to a different place to live."
Hearing that the other party was willing to grant them some more time, the citizens inside lowered their guard somewhat. Moreover, [ Howling Pothos's] words hit their nail on the head, making them unwilling to believe it was a lie.
"Really? Is it Black Locust Town, or Blue Gum Town, or some other town?"
Realizing that their entire family was going to have to move, Enzo's family clearly understood that their son's job was unlikely to be in Fir City.
[ Howling Pothos ] I was about to blurt out "near the castle", but then I suddenly remembered the poll I had just seen while catching up on my studies.
The comment with the most likes has already surpassed the second place by three times, making it the undisputed uncrowned king.
Thinking of this, he said seriously:
It's a new city in the north, its name is --
Valhalla.