TREE OF AEONS 1

Yura smiled and nodded. He then turned to me. - Is that okay? -

- Fine. You can all stay, as refugees, but if I see any unpleasant behavior or actions from your people, I will not hesitate to take any action I deem necessary. -

The centaurs nodded, and I saw from their body language they were nervous. - We believe that is a good suggestion. We will meet again. -

The treefolk rose from their kneeling position and walked backward, their heads still bowing. - As you wish. -

They left for their respective areas.

- That didnÆt go very well. - I sighed.

- I thought it went wonderfully. - Yura shook his head. - Power is sometimes a great way to enforce peace. I think the chiefs, all of them, got the message that we are not one to be messed with. -

- For a peaceful coexistence, to be forged by power and fear? -

- The people need a uniting force. Force. -

YEAR 73, MONTH 11, WEEK 4

No news came from the other camps or the groups that went farther, but that was fine. More trees were growing, and I crossed sixteen hundred normal trees connected through my rootnet. My growth rate slowed down in winter.

The cold started to bite. The refugee elves, centaurs, and treefolk were hard at work. They gathered food, hunted the magically spawning animals, and collected and preserved fruits. The animals still spawned magically, even in winter, and apparently, some smaller forest foxes and bears reappeared once more. The refugees tried their best to hunt, with some success.

They lacked proper storage facilities, so the food wouldnÆt last that long. I thought some of them might have food preservation skills and abilities, and if so, their chances of surviving winter would be better.

Yura , too, hunted some animals for food, and thanks to everyoneÆs combined efforts, we were going into the winter with a surplus in our food store and new warm clothing.

I was still very curious about the presence of these newly spawned animals, and I wondered just how they were created and whether they had a soul.

So, out of curiosity, Yura captured a few of the new animals for my biolab. I would also really have loved to see how the centaurs and treefolk looked in the lab, but that would be for next time.

Eriz stopped crying, finally. Her mistress still had not contacted her, but I think she got tired of crying - or maybe she just had enough of venting. Roma also responded well to the infant formula, and the elves also gave it to Lozanna . Adding olives into the child - syrup maker produced a kind of nutrient - infused syrup, so I assumed the syrup maker had just created baby - friendly food with whatever was given to it. In fact, RomaÆs weight stabilized, and he was starting to regain some of his lost weight.

Emile, Laufen, and Belle made some warm clothing with a mix of cotton and animal wool - kind of like a basic jacket - first, for the kids, and later, for the adults. They spent so much time that they got tailored as a class. Laufen cried when she got the skill as it reminded her of another lady in the village who used to make all the clothes.

So the start of winter was pleasant. The production of the cotton and olives reduced substantially in the last week, but quite a lot of cloth and olive oil was already made, and some cotton was even left unharvested.

YEAR 73, MONTH 12, WEEK 1

Tree growth was slow, and only about fifty trees sprouted in the cold weather. In fact, it was pretty awesome that they sprouted at all considering the biting cold. It wasnÆt freezing or snowing yet, but in a bit more it would.

At this slow, wintery tree - growth rate, my estimated time to reach Soul Forge was going to be delayed.

On the last day of the week, it started to rain. Cold, cold rain. It rained for the whole day and poured water into every corner of the valley. Some parts of the valley even started to flood.

Then came the winds, and everyone stayed indoors during this time. For the area immediately around me, my roots were able to quickly absorb the excess water, and so there was no flooding, but still, it was an unpleasant environment, so everyone gathered in the main secret hideout.

The main tree was the safest, but I had confidence in my subsidiary trees. They were all large, thick, solid trees, and they all shared my buffs to some lesser degree.

- I wonder how the others are doing. - Eriz sat about. - I mean. the centaurs and all. They just got here, and itÆs already winter. ItÆs probably tough. -

She was the most sympathetic toward the refugees, being one who assisted her mistress on such matters prior to this. Perhaps helping the refugees was how she wanted to repay her mistress.

Yura suddenly snapped his fingers. - Did we just harm them by stopping them from chopping wood? They. they might need it for firewood! -

These elves had it good. The secret hideout and customizable branches: external rooms were temperature - controlled and contained natural ventilation, and even water drawn from the roots, and so they were quite comfortable and warm all year round. As a result, they had little need for firewood. Any cooking they needed to do was by collecting dried branches, which regularly dropped from trees, and they had a healthy stock of that.

Elven and treefolk societies generally tried to avoid the use of firewood, except when really necessary. When they did, they usually tried a farming method where only branches were cut off. As a result, their conventional sources of warmth were either energy crystals, heating metals, or oils from the trees - either peanut, cashew, palm, or olive oils. Furthermore, thick, mature trees were able to retain heat quite well so the homes built within them needed minimal heating.

- Ah. - I paused.

Oh.

I checked on the three camps.

The treefolk were fine as their bodies were naturally able to withstand rain and cold without much additional heating. From what I observed, they used their natural abilities to shape the trees into hut - like structures and smaller shrubs into fences, and that seemed to be adequate, for now. They didnÆt seem to really fear the rain, and they appeared quite fine with being drenched outdoors. Of the three camps, the treefolk were the only ones that didnÆt avoid the rain. In fact, some of the treefolk still walked around in the downpours.

The elves also used a kind of wood - magic and magically transformed the trees into housing, but their constructions were structured differently from the treefolk. As the forest was still relatively young, the size of the trees - and their trunks - were small, unlike my subsidiary trees, which spawned naturally large so they could fit a dwelling or multiple beetles.

As a result, the elves were not well - protected from the rain. They huddled together in the largest of their mixed treehouses and tents. They used whatever fur and water - resistant clothing they had and covered themselves. Despite that, some rain and wind still entered those shelters, and they looked uncomfortable.

The centaurs massive tents were able to provide shelter from the rain, but similarly, they were also a little cold. From my tree - vision, some of them huddled inside those tents as a way to keep warm. The location they picked to perch their massive tents seemed to have little issue with the deluge as the water naturally flowed down the slopes not into their tents.

- Do you think they need food? -

- Hmm. I donÆt know. - I looked at the camps and saw their spiritual presence fluctuating. Maybe thatÆs a sign of weakness? But then, everyoneÆs presence fluctuated.

- Doubt it, theyÆve just moved here for a month. I think itÆs more likely that what they have is barely enough to get by, and they probably have not built any cold cellars or chambers, - Eriz explained. - Refugees may have some skilled builders, but they need resources, tools, and time. -

- Should we help, if they need it? - I posed this question to the elves gathered. Of course, the manner of aid should also be carefully considered, but to be fair, we only had a surplus of dried branches, fruits, cloth, oil, and potatoes. The meat supply was relatively short, as the animals were still relatively recent appearances.

Lozanna was the first to answer, - Yes! Heroes help people. And I would like to help! -

Ah, this child had her head in the right place.

Eriz agreed while she rocked Roma to sleep. - They are refugees, and my mistress would have helped. -

Emile and Belle both nodded as well. - I suppose a bit of support will help smooth things out between us? I mean. we do have quite a surplus, with the cotton clothes and all. -

Yura and Laufen agreed last. - Very well. A bit of generosity is also a show of strength. -

- Then it is decided. We help, a little bit. -

- How do we deliver all these things there in this rain? - Emile pointed to the cloth and food. It was a concern if these things got drenched.

I thought I might be able to do something about that. A bit of wood - forming magic would do. I activated Wood Shield but pointed them upward. The wooden shield functioned as a massive umbrella, and so the elves could load some of the extra cloth, small bottles of olive oil, and food onto the cloth bags at the side of the beetles. There were three beetles assigned for transport and utility duty, equipped with cloth bags and compartments at the side.

It was a strange feeling to see my first aid convoy go out, with beetles that hauled cloth, olive oil, and some potatoes and fruits covered by wood shields moonlighting as a massive umbrella.

- Hello, chieftains. - Yura arrived at the edge of the centaur tents. They seemed surprised to see him pop out of the forest.

- Yes? -

- We would like to offer a gift to help your people tide through this first difficult winter. -

The two centaurs, the leaders, rode out into the rain and saw the beetles.

- These are. -

- Cloth, some food, some dried wood branches, and olive oil, which you can use to maintain a small fire for lighting. -

The centaurs paused.

Yura unloaded the goods and placed them at the side of the tent. I expanded the wooden shields, and they were as big as a tent. Naturally, these wooden shields could be massive. After all, they were my own protective skills, and they had to be my size. - ItÆs a gift. -

The two centaurs shared whispers and nodded.

Yura departed once all the goods were delivered, and the convoy returned to the main tree. The beetles cargo was reloaded, and once again, they departed, this time for the elves.

The elves instantly drew their weapons the moment they saw Yura and the beetles.

- What do you want? - the elf chief shouted. He brandished a big sword and wore his armor. He especially covered his head.

Yura smiled as his sword remained sheathed at his side. - IÆm not here to fight. We have gifts for you. -

He didnÆt want to argue with the other elves or talk, really. The elf chieftain might want to argue or shout, so he just unloaded all the cargo, placed them by the side, made a quick explanation of what they were, and then left.

The elf chieftain was shocked, but then the other elves shamelessly grabbed the items before he could reject them. Survival came first. Pride could be decided later on.

Lastly, Yura made a similar trip to the treefolk. The treefolk nodded and smiled. - I believe we have little need for such items. We are well used to rain and cold weather, due to our heritage. -

Yura nodded. - I see, but it is only fair we leave some for you as well. -

- Actually. actually, we have a request to make, but it didnÆt seem appropriate in our meeting previously. -

- What would that be? -

- A few of our children are sick from the long journey, and weÆd like to know if the tree spirit has any healing items. We are willing to trade what we have for it. -

Yura paused. - IÆll need to check. -

Later, Yura returned with a basket of healing fruits, and the treefolk promptly administered them to the young treefolk.

The long journey caused the younger treefolk to suffer from some kind of - movement - sickness - a problem that went away naturally for the more mature treefolk. It was nothing fatal, but it triggered a bit of vomiting and temporarily delayed their natural growth. Still, as parents, it saddened them to see their children weak. A simple healing fruit was all that was needed to fix it.

As a gesture of thanks, the treefolkÆs elder gave us a small wooden box.

- This is? -

Inside the wooden box was a root.

- ItÆs a medicine. It helps boost a personÆs strength. But only take it if youÆve never taken it before, else itÆs not so useful. -

- Ah. -

Yura returned to the main tree with the box of medicine.

- Have you seen this before? - He showed it to everyone else.

- ItÆs. a root? -

- Do we eat it? -

- Yes. thatÆs what the elder said, but only if weÆve never eaten it before. -

Eriz looked at it curiously. - Ah. itÆs looks like some kind of herb. -

- Oh? - Herb? I would like to make that!

At that point, the root went into the biolab pod for analysis. After an hour, I gained a level.

YouÆve gained a level. Level 116.

Essence Collection upgraded.

Essence Infusion unlocked. Essence - infused fruits, leaves, and barks now available. Essence - infused subsidiary trees now available.

Biolab: Analysis of specimen completed.

New unique tree ability obtained.

Limited - series Tree - type unlocked, Magical ginseng plant.

Ginseng plant is limited to three growing plants at any one time (can be increased with level). The quality of the ginseng depends on the age of the root, overall health throughout its life, essences infused, mana infused, materials infused, the environment, and astronomical conditions, etc. Ginseng roots, when consumed, give permanent boosts to various stats, resistances, and abilities. Effect diminishes with subsequent use.

Warnings

Cultivating ginseng will slightly increase monster spawn rate. , Ginseng plant doesnÆt share any defensive or support buffs of the main tree. , Ginseng doesnÆt work on trees.

YEAR 74, MONTH 1, WEEK 1

It was exceptionally cold. Compared to last year, it just felt much colder this year. Perhaps it was the demon kingÆs influence that led to last yearÆs warmth, but whatever it was, we didnÆt like the cold very much.

The rain was replaced by snow.

Only three normal trees were added to the valley. Three.

I sensed everything was just less active this season. The energy I received from my subsidiary trees also dropped, and the energy generated by normal trees dropped to a fraction of what it was previously. I supposed that the subsidiary trees and I were considered evergreen trees, therefore we could maintain a portion of our energy output. In the cold, it didnÆt seem like a good time to test out my new ginseng tree.

Of the three camps, the treefolk were best suited for the snow. They had a kind of quasi - hibernation state where their bodies slowed down tremendously, and in exchange, they gained a wide range of defensive buffs and also reduced their food intake. In fact, I really, really wanted to look under the bark of those treefolk.

The elf and centaur groups gathered at their biggest camps and burned branches for warmth. The centaur elder had an ability that allowed him to fully extract energy out of the branches and that kept their fires burning longer. One of the elven men used an ability to keep warm air circulating within their temporary building. Among the refugees, some possessed cold resistance abilities, and for them, it allowed the elves and centaurs to tide themselves through the difficult weather, especially the biting cold at night.

- I am sure some of them would trade their goods to stay in these warm, cozy rooms, - Eriz said while reminiscing about her time in the city. In palaces and cities, there were dedicated butlers and maids who possessed the ability to manage room conditions, to the comfort of their lords. Some mayors and lords even had a kind of Soften Weather effect that reduced their cityÆs heating and ventilation requirements.

- Well, they had to piss Tree - Tree off, so thatÆs not happening, - Yura said. - ItÆs already very generous of Tree - Tree to send gifts and let the elves stay. -

- Are we chasing them away? - Lozanna asked.

I paused. Well, I thought they should go. The elves, at least. The elven chief was probably not happy I attacked him, and I had no clue whether the rest of the elves harbored the same sort of aggression. I would have to be wary.

- They tried to threaten us, Lozanna . If they are bad people, they should go. -

- To prison? -

- No, just go away. -

The cold also brought new creatures. White wolves and horned deer. The white wolves looked for food in the cold and snow, and I noticed a pack of about ten. They were large, about the same size as my already rhino - sized war beetles, and they were equipped with similarly huge fangs and claws.

I tried to command my beetles to intercept them, and a warning popped up.

Beetles suffer significant movement and attributes penalty in snowy weather. Insects are not adept at winter combat. Half of your beetles are in a dormant state and cannot be awakened.

Oh, man. Previously, it was just rain, but if it snowed, this happened? Oh, well, at least I learned about this now.

Back to the white wolves, and they had spotted the centaurs. Food.

I watched through my various subsidiary trees placed throughout the valley, and it felt like I was watching a documentary through night vision, especially with my spiritual sight, of a pack of wolves fighting with centaurs. The centaur leaders fought their best, but these wolves were huge, and some of the centaurs collapsed under their ferocious swipes.

It occurred to me that maybe I should help. And I wanted the experience. A specimen for the biolab.

Two Root Strike s flew out of the ground, through the snow, and into the belly of the largest of the wolves. The pack leader.

It growled in pain as the Root Strike clearly hit and shattered a few bones and punctured a few of its organs. The second Root Strike penetrated the wolfÆs rib cage and instantly killed it.

The sudden death of the wolf leader sent the pack into a panic, and they fled.

As the remaining white wolves fled, I noticed one wolf that fell behind. It was weakened from its injuries. Great. For the biolab!

Constrict .

My roots successfully captured the injured wolf, and a paralyzing jab knocked it out. I sent a few of my active beetles to collect the paralyzed wolf.

Experience gains came from killing but also from learning. Although less, I wouldnÆt be surprised if there were bookworms out there that were reasonably high level. One of the ways the nobles had an edge over the poor, I supposed, was that their means of gaining levels were wider, through literacy and learning through books.

YEAR 74, MONTH 1, WEEK 2

ItÆd snowed heavily, so I focused on more academic matters and analyzed the white wolf in my biolab.

This white wolf did have a mana spring in its soul, but it was smaller than any of the humans or elves, though it was still larger than the smaller foxes or other animals captured.

Relatively, Meela was like Niagara Falls, a regular person was like a small waterfall, and a normal animal was like a small pipe of water. This white wolf was just like a bigger pipe of water.

Next was the body. The soul and the body had a symbiotic relationship and formed a feedback loop. A strong soul usually led to a strong body, and vice versa. But in the case of the wolves, their bodies were strong, robust, and full of natural energy, yet a small, almost nonexistent soul existed within. It was a common theme, I thought, and I wondered whether this was a feature of non - intelligence or their designated status as animals or monsters.Æ

The body was exceptionally strong. A lattice of natural energy protected its bones and claws. There were little sparks of energy in its muscles and joints, a kind of residual mana? I recalled that I saw something similar in Yura Æs hands and also MeelaÆs, but theirs was almost negligible.

I zoomed in.

Nothing. Maybe I didnÆt have the right tools or ability to identify it because I thought I felt magic of some kind. As I looked at the jaws and their teeth, I got a similar feeling. There was something here that I hadnÆt figured out yet.

Ah, well. After I went through every part of the wolf, I was still unable to crack the code. I decided to leave it inside the biolab, sedated.

I then asked Yura to go for a dip in the pod.

Yura Æs body no longer had the lingering effects of his trauma, but he said he hit a limit - a plateau - and all the monsters he fought no longer gave him any new levels. Yura was currently at level sixty - five.

His body was strong, and his soul seemed healthy, too. The body, the muscles, and the bones all look strong and healthy. Well, except for the left hand.

But as I continued to watch how the energy from the soul spring instantly got drained by the body, I believed Yura Æs intuition was right.

The soul seemed capped out. The amount of soul energy produced was just enough for it to be at the current level but no further. Like a country with an electrical power shortage, it needed to either have a more efficient use of energy or produce more power.

- How do we change this? -

Wisp twirled around. - The elf can have an awakening and find his soul strengthened. -

- That can happen? -

- Of course. He could consider going on a quest out of his league, where he would struggle and then emerge triumphant. Such acts of heroism and pushing against oneÆs limits are sometimes rewarded. Your evaluation of the souls is nothing but an estimate, and reality is an exponential curve. It is possible to climb up that curve. -

Huh. Still, that implied that there was nothing much I could do at this time.

- With his strength, it would be quite a long time before you could do anything to his soul. -

Meela butted in. - Upgrade. Body? -

Hmm. That meant I should get ahead of the soul - body feedback loop and try to first upgrade the body, hoping that somehow that dragged the soul along.

How could I upgrade the body? Stimulants? Surgery? Or maybe I should try fixing his left hand first. I wondered whether the natives of this world had techniques to upgrade a body. Actually, how did the ginseng interact with the soul and body?

YEAR 74, MONTH 1, WEEK 3

Less snow. Yay!

Some of my beetles woke from their dormant state, so now only a quarter were still dormant.

More trees, too! From a low of three new trees, I was now back to about ten additional normal trees per week. I needed to prepare for spring, and so I asked the elves to help, and they collected any seeds they saw. I then commanded the beetles to spread the seeds around.

The elves, with not much to do in the cold, spent most of their time working on some of the cotton.

Yura spent his time tinkering with the damaged airship from the Salah Kingdom adventurers, and by some fluke, he accidentally dismantled what appeared to be the power source of the airship, a basketball - sized crystal. The demon-residue Daemolite.

It was the first time I had seen one, so naturally, it went into the biolab.

Biolab was unable to analyze sample. Analysis unable to proceed.

Eh.

The rest of the small airship was made mostly with regular metals and wood. It was really this magical crystal and the network of enchantments and runes throughout the structure that gave it flight.

Perhaps by damaging its enchantments, it therefore lost its ability to fly?

Sadly, the runes and enchantments remained incomprehensible to me.

Enchantment familiarity missing. Language not understood. Understanding of runic markings required.

Ah, man. The biolabÆs ability to analyze non - biological items was crap. Maybe I would be able to develop a material lab someday.

The three camps kept to themselves. Some of the hunters from the elves and the centaurs continued to look for food. They foraged and hunted the rabbits and the small rat - like creatures that now also lived here.

Creation of animals was interesting, and I had been trying to catch it happening, but so far, I had failed. Every time I took the granular view of the entire valley, just to watch how these animals appeared throughout the forests through the vision from all subsidiary trees, I would get a massive headache. If I kept forcing it, I would lose consciousness and wake a day later. I didnÆt have enough mental processing power to handle the load.

The closest I got was a rabbit that somehow crawled out of the snow. So, even if I could see, perhaps the system that spawned these animals had ways to avoid notice.Æ

YEAR 74, MONTH 1, WEEK 4

There was a freak snowstorm on day one, and after that, it was sunny! The snow was melting!

- My mistress is still alive! - Eriz shouted and jumped happily. - Your mommy is alive! - She hugged Roma and jumped, and the baby cried.

- Oh? -

- SheÆs managed to escape with the rest of them, and they are headed here. They slipped past the last of the human settlements and the kingdomÆs hunters! So, maybe in a week or so, they will be here! -

Laufen smiled. - ThatÆs good. So where would you go after this? -

Eriz paused at the question. - What do you mean? -

- I mean. once your mistress is here, you all should have some plans, right? -

- Uh, I think we plan on staying here. - Eriz rubbed her head. - Can we? IÆll let the mistress know we have to obey your rules, and you are in charge. Maybe. maybe a spot somewhere in the valley? -

Yura rubbed his head. - No, no. Tree - Tree is in charge. -

Emile and Belle nodded. - Maybe this is like. rebuilding Freeka? -

- How many of them? -

- Uh. she didnÆt say. -

Ah. More refugees to deal with. Okay, fine. I would have to handle this better than the earlier elves.

YEAR 74, MONTH 2, WEEK 1

It was finally the tail end of winter. Tree growth was recovering, and that was my focus from now on. I wanted to hit ten thousand trees by the end of the year. It sounded like a big number, but if there was one tree for every five meters, an area the size of one square kilometer would have forty thousand trees. Earth had somewhere around three trillion trees.

The beetles were busy spreading seeds, and when they didnÆt have seeds, they used broken branches they found. I would regularly channel all my tree - growing mojo to boost the growth rate.

The more I used it, the more I understood that it was more like an urge, and I got better at controlling it. It felt even easier as the winter finally let up.

- What are you doing, Tree - Tree? - Lozanna asked, all dolled up and wrapped in thick clothing. Laufen wasnÆt letting her go out without winter protection.

- Growing trees. A lot of them. -

- Oh. I like trees. -

- Why? -

- I like fruits. They are yummy. And I like leaves. They give shade. -

- Ah. -

I didnÆt recall telling the elves about Soul Forge but, oh, well. I supposed they suspected something.

The refugees and the mistress should be here soon.

Your Subsidiary Tree skill has leveled up. Subsidiary tree limit increased to 120.

Secret Hideout - biolab upgraded. Autopsy table and precision tools obtained. Pods increased to 10.

YEAR 74, MONTH 2, WEEK 2

The mistress and her band of refugees arrived. About four hundred strong - half warriors, half escapees - they were a mix of humans, elves, dwarves, and centaurs.

Eriz quickly stepped in to mediate. I thought she probably saw the early scuffle with the elves and wanted to avoid a similar conflict.

In fact, once they were right outside, she ran to meet them before they even entered the forest.

She knew I could observe them once they entered the forest. They spoke at length, and of course, she took Roma with her.

- Think they have good intentions? - I asked the elves.

- Nah, I donÆt think they got good intentions. - Yura shook his head. - They just want some cover for a while, and probably cover from their enemies. -

- But they know your secret password. -

- So? When we designed it, it wasnÆt meant to give free access to a few hundred people. -

- True. -

In the end, the rest of the refugees waited at the forestÆs edge, and only Eriz, Roma, and five others came in - two elves, two humans, and a dwarf.

One of the elves was a lady, and I sensed something. different about her.

She approached the edges of the trees, and she was the one who spoke first.

- I am the leader of this band of unfortunate refugees, here to seek the protection of the guardian of this valley. -

- And why should I? -

- We offer you our services, our goods, and our knowledge, those who we can give. And we will keep our distance from you and your affairs. -

- And? -

- We just seek safe passage and protection from the kingdom that seeks to hunt us down. -

- I want no part in your conflict. -

Mistress Yvon sighed. - I understand, but please, help us, tree spirit. There is nowhere we can turn to, and if you push us away, we may as well die. An army is coming our way, and weÆre too weak to outrun them. -

- You have lured an army here? -

She gulped. - No. When we realized, we were already almost here. -

- And you still came here? -

- We had no choice. There is nowhere we can go. -

- Why should I not leave you to die? -

Yvon took a deep breath. - Because -

- Enough. Eriz, you lured them here, so you have blame in this. -

She paused and kneeled. - IÆm sorry. I felt they. ItÆs their best chance of surviving. The humans are slaughtering elves by the thousands, and. thereÆs no openly non - human - friendly territory anywhere near the Salah Kingdom. except. well, except here. -

I sighed.

It felt like I had been led into this conflict.

- How many are coming? -

- Six hundred or so, a mix of knights and archers on horseback. -

Hmm. If I left these refugees out there, would they let us go? The fact was, I had three groups of non - humans already living in the valley, and if they were really hunting down all non - humans, they might very well just set the entire forest on fire.

This was maybe something I could handle if they didnÆt have someone at the level of the heroes.

I mentally reached out to Yura . He had been listening in.

- ItÆs not much of a choice. I think we can punish Eriz, this leader of the refugees, and whoever lured them here later, but the fact remains that a small army has trailed the refugees and would suspect this forest is the non - human base of operations as we already have other refugees. -

- If we defeat this army, what is to stop a larger army from coming here? -

- ThatÆs true. If we can somehow pull a feint, like. distract the army and lead them somewhere else. -

- These refugees canÆt outrun this army on horseback. -

- True. And the army may not be a conventional force. They may have mages or specialists amongst them since they are chasing after this group. Can you see them, Tree - Tree? - Yura paused, took a seat, and tried to think.

I tried to reach out to the farthest of my trees and roots. I placed one subsidiary tree in that direction, and it extended my vision slightly.

And another subsidiary tree.

- Spotted. - Six hundred men on horseback. I couldnÆt tell much, though, but if a conflict was necessary, I could drag them onto difficult ground. They were probably not aware of my abilities as a high - level tree spirit, and so they would march past trees without suspecting anything.

So I planted about twenty additional subsidiary trees, all of them containing war beetles, spaced and spread out in that direction so that it maximized my root coverage.

The army passed the trees. No action, as expected.

- The moment we accepted the first group of refugees, I guess we had already taken a stand in this conflict. - Yura sighed. - Let me march to the three refugee groups and ask them to participate in combat. -

He wasnÆt exactly right. The moment I had taken on the promise to protect these elves, when Freeka was destroyed, I had made the choice to protect this valley. An army marching on us was therefore an enemy, especially a human army that was going to burn up this area.

- Offer them. -

- Huh? - Yura turned. - Offer? -

- If they are willing to participate in this battle, I will consider lifting restrictions and conditions on their stay here. This is their opportunity to show their worth to me in this valley and earn their right to stay. -

Yura laughed. - Hah! A tree spirit truly is wise. To make these refugees fight! - Yura nodded and then headed off.

I turned to Eriz and Yvon.

- Get your men ready for combat. I have, very reluctantly, decided to join this conflict. Eriz, Yvon, and whoever suggested all of you come into combat, your punishment will be decided after this battle. -

Yvon paused and nodded. - Very well. If we live to see tomorrowÆs sun, IÆll take the punishment. -

Of the three camps, only the elves refused to participate. It seemed that they had already decided to leave once the weather improved. The treefolk and centaurs both agreed, and they sent about twenty men each. Yura and about a hundred or so men from YvonÆs group also prepared. The rest, the women, and the children all hid in the forest.

The army approached.

- Those stinking rebels! Is that their hideout? -

- Forest. Hah! ItÆs so predictable that it is a forest! Elves! -

- They should have chosen a cave or something. -

I picked up chatter as they passed a few of my subsidiary trees. I was watching them, looking for. special individuals.

- I donÆt feel so good. -

- What, you feel like taking a dump? You can take a dump on the elves later. -

- Did Lord Rovas say we can take prisoners? Elven ladies are hot. -

- No. He said kill everyone. No survivors. CanÆt leave any of these rebel scum to breed. -

- Ah, man. -

- I hate this armor. WhyÆd they insist we wear military uniforms anyway? -

- WeÆre legit now. Deal with it. -

Just then, a burly man came around and smacked a few of them with a cane. - WeÆre closing in. Mages, get ready. -

A woman rode next to him. - Our target is Yvon, Prince GalanÆs corruptor. It is she who led him into this foolish non - human love affair. -

- Is she hot? -

- SheÆs got a way with words. -

- Really? -

- Shut it. We canÆt let this group escape. If this is their base, letÆs take it all out. -

- Okay, boss. -

Hmm. They just passed the second layer of trees.

- They will try to fight in the forest, though. -

- No. We burn the forest. Anti - elf tactics 101. Why go into the forest and fight on their terms? Set the forest on fire, and we attack whoever comes out. -

Funny, they just walked past a few trees. They should have attacked the trees, then.

- They have centaurs and dwarves, right? And they can run to the other side? -

- A handful. Not enough to make a difference. Another group has already gone on ahead to the other side of the valley. -

- Ah! Such genius! -

- Mages, gather up and cast a few fireballs into the forest. LetÆs burn this forest to the ground. -

Great. That was the cue IÆd waited for.

Of the six hundred, about twenty stepped forward, and they channeled some kind of fireball. Right when they started, I acted.

Poison Field .

Root field .

Roots surged out of the ground and released a kind of toxic fume into the air. It wasnÆt fast acting but would work.

That was followed by twenty Root Strike s. All at the mages.

I hit eighteen, killing them instantly. Their armor, though metal, didnÆt hold up very well. The two remaining had some magical instinct and managed to break their fireball - chant in time to dodge the surge.

- Druids? -

Their horses panicked as the roots and the poison was uncomfortable. They wanted to run.

Root Surge .

I only had two uses of this ability per day, but it was very useful as an area attack. Sharp roots emerged in the area around four subsidiary trees, and so there were roots attacking about half of the enemy force.

- What! - The Root Surge , though, lacked the punch each individual Root Strike had. I reckoned they were about a quarter of the strength.

Some of the men activated their defensive abilities, successfully blocking the surge. But as an area attack, about a hundred or so died, so that was pretty good.

- Run, guys! WeÆll need to come back with a bigger army! - one of the surviving mages shouted, using some kind of magic to boost his escape. - Whoever is protecting them is a very powerful druid, perhaps one of the great elven archdruids! -

That actually needed to not be said. Some of them were already running when the Poison Field and Root Field popped up.

I couldnÆt let mages run, though. So I shot a few more rounds of Root Strike s, and I killed one. The last surviving mage used a string of magical nullification spells. He was hurt but not dead.

- That cursed elf woman! SheÆs got a backer! Must be one of the elven nations secretly meddling in our countryÆs politics! -

- Retreat! -

I aimed a Root Strike at the leader, but it hit a magical barrier. It broke through it, but then a metal shield blocked the Root Strike .

- You wonÆt get my head that easily! - he shouted, and he activated a few magical and physical defensive abilities, then as he was about to turn back, a shout came from the forest.

- Charge! -

Yvon and the refugees charged out of the forest.

Honestly, if you were to ask me, that was a stupid decision. Why did she and the refugees charge?

Since she was charging, I activated all the war beetles hiding in the twenty subsidiary trees. Sixty war beetles appeared and charged into the chaotic mess that was the kingdomÆs army. The beetles killed a few, but with the stronger, more experienced soldiers, it was an even matchup. After all, these soldiers had skills, abilities, and probably some enchanted equipment.

The leader, though, smiled and shouted at Yvon. - Ah, you succubus! Decided to appear and fight, eh? -

Yvon pulled out a sword, used some kind of ability, and vanished, only to reappear a second later, right in front of the army leader where she attempted a stab.

He blocked her strike, and his magical barrier was broken. - Hah! Not so easy! - He unsheathed his sword and leaped from his horse.

Both Yvon and the army leader traded blows.

Meanwhile, the rest of the refugees and the war beetles fought.

At this point, I stopped attacking and observed the battle.

- SheÆs pretty good. - Yura laughed, still sitting at the side, not joining the battle.

- ArenÆt you going to join in? -

- Soon. IÆm just waiting for the trigger. -

- Which is? -

- That woman. SheÆs going to try something. -

She charged up an ability as Yvon and the leader fought. Well, sorry, I was gonna have to ruin the surprise. Two Root Strike s impaled through her body, and she yelled in pain, - AGhh. -

Both Yvon and the army leader turned to see the woman with one root through her chest and another through her stomach.

The army leader looked at Yvon furiously. - Which country is helping you, you treasonous beast? -

Yvon shook her head. - None. -

- Then explain this root magic. -

Yvon paused. - I canÆt. I didnÆt know of it, either. -

- Lies. Again. -

The army leader activated an ability and slashed at Yvon at high speed. She, in response, activated something similar, and they were back at a stalemate. He slashed, and she parried, dodging successfully.

She panted, her breathing heavy.

- You canÆt beat me. You know it. -

- I can try. Vengeance demands it. -

He laughed. - I didnÆt land the killing blow, mind you. It was not me who killed Prince Galan. -

- But you were there. And so, you must die. - YvonÆs sword glowed with a greenish hue.

- Oh? - The army leader laughed.

I thought I saw a few opportunities for me to throw out a Root Strike , but eavesdropping on the conversation was a lot more interesting.

Yvon disappeared into a whirl of greenish light, some kind of sword - dance ability. The army leader laughed, glowed in purple, and he, too, disappeared in a purple - glow. The two appeared solely as sparks for the few minutes that followed.

When they both reappeared, the army leader looked unscathed, whereas Yvon had cuts all over her body.

- See? You canÆt beat me, and I will make you join Prince Galan soon. -

Yvon shook her head and forced herself to stand.

- WhereÆs that druid of yours, anyway? Ran out of root attacks? -

Well, I still had about fifty to spare. But I was more interested in watching. My beetles and the rest of the refugees were still fighting. A few of the beetles had been killed, but they had managed to hunt down the last mage. So, with the mage out of the picture, I was actually letting the rest of this play out.

About this time, forty additional refugees joined the battle - the treefolk and the centaurs. They waited for the right time as they didnÆt want to join the fight until Yura did.

- Oh, treefolk. That explains the root attacks. - The army leader laughed. - IÆll slaughter them after I kill you. -

- Not if I have anything to say about it. - Yura stepped in front. - Yura . -

The army leader laughed. - Oh? IÆm Waysorious Moffard. Also known as the Purple Blade. -

Yura bowed. - Please, allow me to join this battle as IÆve been robbed of my prey. - Well, I killed the lady Yura wanted to fight, so.

- Well, come. -

Yura grinned and activated an ability, covering his body in a layer of wood.

They traded a few blows, and Yura jumped back. His wooden armor had multiple scratches, but he lived.

- Ah, IÆm weaker with the sword. But, thankfully, my defense is a lot stronger. - The wooden armor regenerated, and the scratches disappeared.

Waysorious laughed. - That armor of yours is strong, but if thatÆs all youÆve got, you wonÆt last. -

At that point, Yvon stepped up, her body fully healed. - Well, what if itÆs both of us? -

Waysorious paused. - Ah. -

Yura activated a healing ability before they started fighting as Waysorious looked around and saw the rest of his men dying or fleeing. He started laughing maniacally.

- I see. I see. IÆll be back, you cursed witch. -

Yvon attempted to stab him, but in a flash of light, he disappeared.

- AGH! I should have known he carries a ring of escape with him! -

Huh. ThereÆs an item like that, eh?

Once the captain left, the rest of the soldiers didnÆt last very long. It seemed, without his presence, some buffing effects that he had faded away. Whoever was still fighting was quickly killed by the remaining war beetles, Yvon, Yura , and the rest of the refugees.

So the battle ended.

The refugees stripped whatever equipment or items they could from the soldiers and then piled the bodies up to burn. YvonÆs bunch of over two hundred refugees lost about thirty or so men, whereas the forty treefolk and centaurs lost none, all thanks to a great element of surprise, Root Strike s, and war beetles.

War beetles had a Taunt ability, which tended to cause nearby enemies to attack them first, and that tanking effect helped minimize our casualties. Add the confusion from the Root Strike s and root surge, and the army seemed to be concentrated on fleeing more than fighting.

- Centaurs and treefolk, thank you for your participation in this battle. With this, IÆm willing to offer you full rights to your designated areas and also such that each person may chop down one tree per year. Ration your wood accordingly. Treefolk, you may trade your wood rights if you donÆt need them with centaurs, but notify me beforehand. -

The centaurs and treefolk nodded and returned to their homes. They were glad there were no casualties in their bunch, but they joined the battle late. I later overheard that the sight of roots surging out of the ground was rather scary. From afar, it looked like the earth itself decided to fight them. Which reminded me, maybe I should have a giant worm of my own, like the demons. A subordinate giant worm or centipede would be nice.

As for YvonÆs group, they quickly buried their dead and healed their wounded. Yvon was frustrated, though, not that I cared. Her punishment was due, and Yura delivered the message.

- You survived. Now face punishment, - Yura spoke in a small gathering.

Yvon sighed. - No way out of this? -

- Speak to the tree spirit. -

Later that day, after all was done, Eriz and Yvon both stood right outside my main tree.

- So, what punishment are we facing? -

- Eriz. Did you know that you were putting everyone at risk by luring them here? -

- Yes, but it was the best decision. -

- You. You intentionally wanted to get me involved in this. -

Yvon shook her head. - Uh. to be honest, I didnÆt fully believe Eriz when she said there was a tree spirit able to protect us. And, from my point of view, we had to escape the human lands. Wherever we go, we are going to be hunted, so, since my son is here. I thought coming here made sense. -

She looked at Yura , and Yura shook his head. - Go on. -

- Erm, whatever it is, I didnÆt realize there was a forest here, and I didnÆt think they would suspect this forest was a hideout for rebels. In hindsight, it is obvious, but when we were just trying to successfully escape, we. we didnÆt think that far ahead. So we decided to take a chance on whatever Eriz told us. -

I sighed. How should I punish these people? She was trying to feign innocence, and that annoyed me even more.

How?

At this point, Wisp appeared in my mental realm.

- Take her soul. -

- What?! - I mean, what? Like. how would one do that?

- I mean, make her surrender her soul to you when she dies. -

- I can do that? -

- Yeah. You can mark her soul with a special process. She has to consent to it, of course, and recite a long phrase and agreement to mark that she wills her soul to you. -

That. that somehow feels a bit extreme. And I didnÆt know I have that kind of ability.

- That sounds like what a demon does, I mean, take oneÆs soul on death? -

- Well, itÆs actually the same thing. The contracts, in essence, are the same, but demons take the ideas to the extreme, of course. -

- Why would I want her soul, anyway? -

- Well, all the souls you see are marked for their onward reincarnation or whatever the gods have planned for their next phase and stay in the realm at most for a year, usually six months. But if a soul agrees, they drop out of that process and belong to you. for a thousand years. And during that time, you may use the soul as you see fit. -

- Like? -

- Well. anything. -

I shook my head. Sounded exactly like what a demon or devil did. Not exactly what I thought a soul or spirit tree should be doing. I mean, how would it work?

- What else are you not telling me? -

- Or if you think taking away her soul is too much, tell her to give you a few of her levels or skills. -

- What? - Another bombshell from Wisp. Wisp was hiding things from me.

- Ah, well, itÆs actually a fairly common ability amongst the ancients, high nobles, blue - blooded royalty, and high - level magic smiths, artificers, and crafters. -

- Huh? -

- There are restrictions to the origin of your power, of course, and in your case, the person surrendering the levels must be at least level twenty, and they can surrender no more than twenty percent of their levels, and no more than twenty percent of all skills. -

Okay, Wisp. Infodump there, but it sounded pretty important. I turned to Eriz and Yvon.

- Rest. I will decide your punishment in a few days. If you attempt to flee, I will kill you. And the refugees. -

They gulped but nodded. Having seen the roots, they probably realized how easily I could do exactly what I said. Once they left, I went back into my soul realm to Wisp.

- You and I are going to have a long conversation on what else you havenÆt been telling me. -

- Oh, I have plenty more, but the information I can provide is dependent on the progress you make on Soul Forge , and if you want to know everything I know, you need an active Soul Forge . -

- Can you tell me more about these soul contracts and surrendering of levels and skills. -

Wisp bobbed around and then paused.

- Making a deal for the soul has been common throughout history. When a desperate man sacrifices everything to protect his family, he is making a request to the heavens or hell - or whatever natural aspect is watching at the time - in exchange for his soul. It is then up to the nature aspect to decide whether they want the soul, balancing the costs of assisting versus the benefits. -

Huh. - Simplify? -

- Granting souls is super common and not forever. As a soul or spirit tree, having souls that wonÆt move on is very useful. Just think of it as an employment contract. -

- CanÆt I just make her work for me? -

- Well, thatÆs harder to enforce than having a contract carved into her soul, no? -

- Oh. - True, it would be like having a slave that couldnÆt defy you. Well, that was nice, but was that a good punishment?

Death felt too. cheap.

YEAR 74, MONTH 2, WEEK 3

Spring had begun, and the beetles were out spreading seeds.

I finally decided on the punishment for Eriz and Yvon.

- Thanks to your selfishness, Eriz, youÆve permanently dragged us into this conflict. This is despite our hospitality to you these past months. Your punishment is that you are to surrender your soul to me and serve us for the rest of your life. -

- My. my soul? -

- Yes, your soul. You put us in danger, even when we helped take care of Roma. This is for putting our lives at risk. -

She paused, too stunned to respond.

Then it was YvonÆs turn. - Your punishment is that you will now have to protect this forest for the rest of your life. And IÆll enforce that by not having you leave this forest. If you try, IÆll kill your people. In exchange, IÆll allow your people to share and stay in this valley with me, though, as youÆre probably aware, I have rules I want followed. -

She stopped.

- I didnÆt think taking your soul was necessary at this point, and I am of the opinion that your combat and management abilities will be useful in managing the coming refugees. But I will be watching you closely. -

Yvon paused, thinking. After about five minutes, she sighed and nodded. - I can accept that. - I guessed she figured to have me as a protector of the refugees was worth the cost.

She dragged me into this conflict, I may as well make the most of it. If this was going to end up in war, IÆd better have more bodies to throw at the enemy.

I wanted to fight the Salah Kingdom, so this accelerated the entire process, but I was hoping for more clandestine, stealthy methods, by way of sneaky subsidiary trees, but oh well.

- How. how are you going to take my soul? - Eriz looked puzzled.

A magic ring appeared around her - an ability I didnÆt know I had until recently.

Spiritual Contract - Judgment . ItÆs essentially a soul contract but in the form of a judgment. Demons, devils, and the dark gods got a lopsided version known as Unfair Contracts , which was. well, unfair, but then it was less robust as a result. It had also sneaky abilities like concealing terms and conditions, but all of these resulted in a reduction of the ability grade to a lower - tier (relative, of course).

- Accept. -

She shook. She looked at her mistress, and then back at Yura , who was watching her. - I - I. -

- Are you testing my patience, Eriz? -

I wondered whether there was undue influence in this world.

She gulped. - I. IÆm sorry. Is there any other way? -

- No. For the fact that youÆve dragged me into this conflict, and the kingdom knows of this forest, youÆve made life difficult for me. Therefore, this is an adequate punishment for you. You could have told your mistress to meet you elsewhere, but here we are. -

Yvon tried to defend her subordinate. - Her soul. ItÆs too much, isnÆt it? CanÆt she protect this forest like I do? -

- No. Her soul, or everyone dies. - I probably would not actually kill everyone, but an ultimatum it was.

Eriz cried.

She glanced at Yura , but he just shrugged.

After she finished crying, she accepted the punishment, and the magic ring around her glowed, expanded, spun around a while, and then entered her body.

It was done.

Eriz MaforlasÆs soul is now leased to you for a thousand years. Soul lease will commence upon death.

Lease? WasnÆt that like renting?

- Uh. - She looked around. I thought she must have been preparing for something more gruesome and painful.

And after a while, she looked at Yvon.

- Am I still here? - Eriz seemed to think she was going to die instantly.

- Yes. - Yvon nodded, and she, too, looked puzzled.

- ThatÆs it? I donÆt feel anything different. Have you taken my soul yet? -

- Oh, not now. When you die, Eriz. - I wanted to say, - So donÆt die, - but then I was sure she knew that.

Now that her sobbing had stopped, she looked at her mistress. - Oh. Oh! ThatÆs all? -

YÆknow. I was starting to think on death wasnÆt that great a term. After all, it still meant this person got to act out their life for the remainder of their days, which was by no means shorter. It was a painless punishment. Nothing had changed, unless they cared about their soul.

Oh, well, I guessed I would take levels next time. Though having seen YvonÆs combat abilities, having her around would be useful against the fighters this Salah Kingdom might deploy.

- For the soul part, yes. Also, from now on, you serve me. -

YEAR 74, MONTH 3, WEEK 1

I loved spring.

Thanks to the hard work of the beetles and the regrowing bounty mojo, the normal tree count in the valley surged to three thousand eight hundred. That was a huge climb, but I guessed the season of spring counted toward that. If that continued, I might hit ten thousand a bit faster than expected.

Other than that, nothing particularly concerning happened. The kingdom didnÆt seem to be sending anyone at us. yet.

As for the refugees, YvonÆs group of refugees set up camp along the right side of the slopes. All the refugee camps started building more permanent structures now that winter was over.

The centaurs, now given a certain allotment of trees that they could chop down, started to construct basic houses that resembled stables. Some of them engaged in wide - scale planting, of a plant known as the shrub of the fours. It was largely inedible to anyone but centaurs, minotaurs, satyrs, and their kind - it was their staple food. It seemed centaurs could survive on this plant alone, and once the plants started to grow significantly, I wanted to analyze them.

The treefolk were incredibly fascinating to observe. Their abilities resembled an inferior version of mine in many ways. They enjoyed being in the sun, and clearly, their abilities were affected by the season, their steps faster, their skin and body more. vibrant. Their feet had an ability to connect to the earth, drawing energy, nutrition, and even mana. The treefolk used their innate affinity with trees to weave the branches of trees into more structures, and it seemed it was their preferred way of construction, bending trees into shape. It was like large - scale bonsai sculpting. I suspected they had the ability to boost tree growth as well, but I would ask them about it some other day.

YvonÆs elves, being the most exposed of the bunch, started with building a mix of houses and fortifications from the earth. Stone walls, stone houses, I was quite amazed at the speed at which they managed to build with the rocks and dirt. They had to cut some of the trees down for the rest of the materials, but with the outburst of trees in spring, the loss was acceptable.

The last group of elves were split. A group, about three - quarters of them, were leaving. They only wanted to stay through the winter. The remaining quarter were going to join YvonÆs group.

No matter.

YEAR 74, MONTH 3, WEEK 3

There was no movement from the Salah Kingdom. We initially wondered why, but then the olive oil traders came. For olives, of course.

- War has broken out, - they explained. - The Kingdom of Nung and the Kingdom of Takde have declared war on the Kingdom of Salah. Their civil war and slaughter were an opportunity, a weakness, so both of them are trying to take a bite out of Salah KingdomÆs territory. -

Well, that was a wonderful coincidence.

Some cash changed hands, and olive oils were sold.

- The merchants guild would not be trying to sell information about me, no? - Yvon popped out at the trading post.

- Ah. the mistress herself. - The merchants grinned. - Well, the kingdom is occupied now, but they are offering good money to find out who is backing your rebellion. -

- Oh, any leads? - Yvon laughed.

- The merchants guild has our own theories, but if you mean to share. -

Yvon shook her head. - How is the guildmaster doing? -

- Ah, he is fine. No one would dare touch the guildmaster of the merchants guild, even if he is half - minotaur, if thatÆs what you are asking. -

Yvon nodded. - That is good. - She handed the merchant multiple letters. - I take it the merchants still offer delivery services, even to me? -

A merchant smiled, grabbed the letters, and shoved them into a box of some kind, coins exchanged.

- I take it you know the terms. -

- No worries, itÆs to the other kingdoms. -

- Ah. -

- Sorry. - Laufen butted in. - Do you mind. helping us buy some things? -

- Like? -

- Oh, one of my friends wants exotic fruits and books about trees. Can you help us procure some? WeÆll pay you. -

- Ah, IÆll look out for some. -

YEAR 74, MONTH 4, WEEK 1

The young chieftain and the elves left.

I was at five thousand three hundred normal trees. The surge was down to an awesome combination: the hard work of the beetles, this wonderful season of spring, and better mastery of this bounty ability I had.

Within the inner circle of subsidiary trees, I finally felt confident enough to start growing my first ginseng tree.

Life for the refugees was starting to stabilize. With homes built, their focus turned to defense, preparing for the next winter, and potatoes and all the other plants.

Subsidiary tree leveled up. You can now have one hundred eighty subsidiary trees.

YEAR 74, MONTH 4, WEEK 3

I spread more subsidiary trees farther out as a form of surveillance. And this was when I noticed my increasing inability to manage such a vast area of subsidiary trees. It was too far.

So, although the subsidiary trees were giving me vision, it wasnÆt functioning as an early warning system, and I couldnÆt camp there to watch over it personally. There was also a hill a distance away, and I wanted to somehow get my hands on more unique minerals and materials.

The essence production at this point was still slow because most of my energy was focused on growing trees, which now numbered six thousand.

Other than that, there were more refugees, more non - humans, and they all joined YvonÆs camp. There seemed to be around two hundred of them. It seemed Yvon knew they were coming and had prepared extra buildings to house them, so YvonÆs side was becoming quite lively. There were centaurs among the new batch, and they went on to join the existing centaur group instead, but it was a small bunch, only about thirty or so.

YEAR 74, MONTH 5, WEEK 1

Spring was almost ending, and it seemed the growth of new trees started to slow down again. It was now about five hundred new trees every two weeks, so I stood at six and a half thousand now.

To help support the elves, centaurs, and treefolk, I created subsidiary trees that produced cotton. The deal was that they would pay me twenty percent of the proceeds should they be sold to traders. But if they made it for personal consumption, there was no tax.

Yes, I am taxing the refugees. I call it the cotton tax.

In addition, the treefolk and centaur camps committed to providing thirty warriors each to the valleyÆs defense. YvonÆs group naturally committed the most, being the largest. They put two hundred of their people forward for the valleyÆs defense. They mostly focused on the small monsters and creatures that spawned naturally in the region.

And Yura , being the chief coordinator and communicator of the valley, gained a new class.

Diplomat.

YEAR 74, MONTH 5, WEEK 2

More refugees. Seriously. The invasion by the two kingdoms into the Salah Kingdom seemed to have displaced even more people, sowing more death. I knew of the deaths with my wider reach, as I was collecting more souls. My soul realm was filled with little sparks of light, of humans, of non - humans, all the souls making the journey to the other world. They would stay for about six months to a year before moving on, so the constant death was currently adding a lot of little lights to the soul realm.

- It is good that you are approaching an active Soul Forge soon. - Wisp bobbed around.

- Tell me about. other soul - manipulating creatures. - I got straight to the point. I had questions I wanted to ask.

- When you get a Soul Forge . -

- Ah. - I sighed. - So, do I have a limit on how many souls I can store? -

- Nope. The soul realm can store as many souls as you can possibly have. -

- HowÆs that even possible? DoesnÆt that break some rules or something? -

- It. it just does. - Wisp couldnÆt answer, but oh well. Magic. Like how the secret hideout was far bigger than my actual tree.

YEAR 74, MONTH 5, WEEK 3

More refugees! After two weeks of more arrivals, YvonÆs group was touching almost eight hundred, and they were accepting some humans as well. At first, my initial response was to reject them, but then their location, at the edge of the valley, and the assurance of Yvon and her group meant I relented. More bodies to throw at the Salah Kingdom was good.

So Yvon and a lot of the earlier elves and humans now took the role of enforcer, and they seemed to have come up with some kind of norms.

They also had an unofficial name for their growing part of town, which was located a little farther from where Freeka was.

New Freeka.

At first, they wanted to name it after their benefactor, Prince Galan, so the name floated about was Galansburg, but I rejected that idea as it stepped on the history of this place, of Freeka.

So it was fine, then. That new settlement they were working on could be the new town, and the area my main tree was in would be the old town of Freeka.

I also gained a random level, after almost six months of not gaining one.

Level 117.

Timber Farm.

Produce average quality timber, at a much faster speed.

- Ah. -

YEAR 74, MONTH 6

A small scouting party from the Salah Kingdom was spotted. Their enmity with Yvon had not ended after all. The skirmishes with the Nung and the Takde were just minor distractions. Salah was one of the larger states in the region, and they had sufficient resources to hold both fronts and still pursue their. vengeance.

For Yvon, this came as a disappointment. Their earlier hopes of making peace in this land were dashed. It wasnÆt going to be as easy as they initially hoped.

I decided to let Yvon deal with it. If they were to make a life in this valley, they had to show they were up for the challenge, so they captured the scouts, interrogated them, and then killed them.

I supposed they would be suspecting something when the scouts didnÆt return anyway.

Later in the month, the traders came along, traded some oil, and brought us some exotic fruits. It seemed the olive oil prices had gone up slightly during the wars, so we were paid a little more, though the merchants share was obviously higher.

It seemed SalahÆs claim over our valley and a few other territories was disputed by the Nung - their point being that SalahÆs abandonment during the demonic wars rendered their claim moot. The past few months had consisted of a mix of skirmishes and high - level diplomatic meetings, so the disputed area had been declared a temporary no - go zone.

But that was ending, as neither budged from their claim, so Salah was coming. And so were the Nung.

Ah, peace is but a temporary lie, the outcome of two nations bickering with words.

Harvestable products upgraded. Papaya and grapes obtained.

Normal tree count: 7,800.

YEAR 74, MONTH 6, WEEK 4

More refugees! YvonÆs group was expanding their walls, and a second layer of walls were being built to protect the additional houses now. With the help of timber, some of their earlier buildings were being rebuilt taller, denser.

YvonÆs group was actually fairly talented. One of them was actually a mayor, and he had taken the role of mayor of New Freeka. He was in charge of construction and absorbing the refugee influx. With him were a few councilors and several paper workers, experts at setting up and managing paperwork. It seemed they even got started on making some paper from all the branches and leaves.

Another of YvonÆs group was a military trainer, and she was in charge of managing the defensive aspects.

I suspected the whole conflict stemmed from Prince GalanÆs skilled retinue, and this somehow threatened the elder prince.

Skill obtained: Growth Surge.

Creates patches of normal trees, shrubs, and grasses. Affected by weather and seasons.

YEAR 74, MONTH 7, WEEK 2

There was a fair bit of movement at YvonÆs side. People were moving in and out. Other than that, everyone was getting ready for another round of winter.

Laufen and the elves dropped by each of the camps, though I kept watch whenever they did. The last thing I wanted was a kidnapping.

Though they were new and strangers, it made them happy. They were in a society after all, and elves who stayed alone for too long lost that social connection.

Especially the kids. There were more kids to play with, kids their own age. Lozanna in particular found another girl her age, and they played catch in the small town of New Freeka. In New Freeka, multiple subsidiary trees kept watch. These were so I could look and keep myself aware of what was happening.

But I was struggling to keep track of so many things happening at once, especially now that it had grown to almost one thousand two hundred people, not counting the treefolk and centaurs.

YEAR 74, MONTH 7, WEEK 4

Army spotted. Ten thousand strong. They bore the flags of Salah. This was a proper army, with swords, armor, knights, and mages.

They marched toward New Freeka, and as they approached, one man on horseback yelled, - We demand you surrender! -

- No! -

I had insufficient Root Strike s to kill that many people. At best, I could take out about. a thousand? And that left nine thousand men.

The refugees were worried, of course. It was a large force. They talked about running, but Yvon somehow convinced them to stay. Over the past months, they had built a wall to act as a defensive fortification, preparing for this day.

Ten thousand was a lot, but not all needed to die. If I could get a hit on the leaders and deliver a visible smacking of their morale, perhaps they could be convinced to flee.

- I think the core group of about four hundred are professionals. The rest look like conscripts. -

- Mages? -

I had in mind a similar strategy to the earlier fight. I wanted to take out the mages first, but they saw how we fought the first time, so they might know that we would try the same.

And indeed, there were no obviously visible mages. All of them wore armor, so the suspected mages were likely those wielding staffs or sticks. They would probably show themselves once the battle got into close range.

The army closed in. The number of cavalrymen was a lot less this time.

The refugees could field about eight hundred fighters in total - seven hundred from the camp itself and a hundred from the centaurs and treefolk.

Arrows started to fly, and the enemyÆs leader activated a shield barrier, deflecting the arrows. Some of the arrows, though, were from actual archers, with shield - penetrating abilities, so some still got through. The treefolk used their ability to throw rocks and boulders at the army, and their size and energy meant they were able to pierce the shield.

Ten thousand mostly soldiers? Something wasnÆt right.

They entered into some kind of turtle formation to reduce the impact of our projectiles.

And they drew nearer.

Around the walls were my subsidiary trees, and they walked past them. I took this chance to take a closer look.

Mages. I knew some of them were, but with the bodies flanking and blocking, I couldnÆt see them very well.

A few of the refugees were also mages, and two fireballs flew toward the army, smacking right into a magic barrier.

It was at this time a long - range projectile smashed into the refugee mage, killing him instantly.

I quickly turned my attention to them.

Far away, there were three men, one holding a long barrel gun - a sniper? However, it was a lot cruder, made of forged crystal, and seemed to use magical bullets. Another one looked like a mage, with the whole wizard gear going on. And the last man was an old man in a complete set of knightÆs armor. He had a faint, authoritative presence, and the ornaments on his person were magical, which made me suspect that he was probably a lord or noble.

- Did you spot the supposed archdruid? - the old man asked.

- No, - the sniper answered.

- Deploying ten thousand men is a little overkill. ItÆs probably those treefolk, - the mage said.

The old man nodded. - I wouldnÆt count Yvon out just yet. SheÆs probably got something up her sleeves. The fact that she so brazenly set up a physical camp here suggests she has some kind of backing. -

The sniper shook his head. - Seriously, there are none of the unusual mana signatures. -

The wizard shrugged. - Maybe sheÆs just overconfident or tired of running. -

- Maybe. -

The sniper turned his barrel around. - All these trees are. annoyingly tough. - He fired, and the projectile pierced through one of my subsidiary trees. But it slowed the crystalline projectile down significantly and softened the blow.

The wizard paused, seemingly realizing something. - Detect Presence . -

He paused and turned to the lord. - We should. leave. -

The lord looked dumbfounded. - Huh? Why? DonÆt we have good odds? -

- I sense an ominous presence that stretches this entire valley. not something. not something an archdruid can do. The trees. they are looking back at us. - The wizard pointed. - I feel them watching us. -

The lord stared. - How sure are you? -

- These trees. they have a faint killing intent. This is no ordinary forest. -

- Hmm. That explains why the refugees are stuck. They dare not venture through the valley, so they may as well make a stand here. -

- We might still be able to defeat Yvon and her band of rebels. But whatever else is here, itÆs not going to fall to us, not to what we have here. If Yvon is somehow working with or trying to control whatever lurks in this forest, we may not stand a chance. ItÆs a trap, milord. -

The lord paused and looked at the sniper. - What do you think? -

- I trust his judgment. If he says we should leave, we should. - He fired another shot, this time intentionally hitting one of my subsidiary trees. It punctured a whole through it and sent a jolt of pain through me. - Normal trees would explode on impact. I agree that this forest. has secrets. IÆll need explosive weaponry. -

The wizard nodded to the sniper.

- It is best I report this to the wizardÆs guild. A deployment of a much larger group of wizards may be necessary. -

The lord nodded. - Very well. There is no shame in retreating to fight another day. Call the army back. If this is a trap, we will not fall for it. We would be better placed if we can tap some rangers and shamans for the next fight. -

And so, the army of ten thousand retreated.

It was surreal for the refugees, who thought they would be goners or lose most of their people. The casualties on both sides were relatively small - about twenty to thirty - and for Yvon and her group, it was a huge victory.

Skill: Haunted tree upgraded to haunted forests.

Ah. Did I just scare away an army? I was pretty sure the army couldnÆt kill me, but I probably wouldnÆt be able to kill all of them, either.

Still, it looked like they would be back with a vengeance. So I needed additional countermeasures.

YEAR 74, MONTH 8, WEEK 3

Ten thousand normal trees reached!

Firing up Soul Forge .

All the trees in the valley abruptly emitted a faint glow, and it scared the refugees.

I felt power surging into me, my roots, all of them overflowing with power.

And then a huge thunderbolt from above landed on me like a constant electrical connection. It caused everyone to jump, and the secret hideout shook like it experienced an earthquake.

The ground shook, my entire body of tree glowed in a bluish light, and the thunder, like a chain linked to the sky above, trembled and flickered.

- What is going on? - Yura asked. - Tree - Tree, are you okay? -

They didnÆt know.

The treefolk seemed afraid. - Is the tree suffering through a magical crisis? -

The centaurs wondered whether this was some kind of divine punishment.

The normal trees pushed more energy through their roots, and all of that energy flowed into the once inactive Soul Forge .

There was a spark, and a small blue flame popped out and danced in the middle of the soul forge. The Soul Forge actually looked like a massive circular jar, and now, there was a blue light emitting from within.

And then, a shockwave followed. The outer bark of my body was shredded by the bolts of lightning as they hopped in and out of my body like a short - circuited set of electronics.

You gained 4 levels. Level 121 .

Skill obtained: Magic suppression: All hostile magic abilities below tier 3 are absorbed.

Skill upgraded: Root surge. Covers a wider area and use limit increased.

Skill upgraded: Subsidiary tree increased to 250.

Soul forge: Blue is active.

Soul forge: ForgeTree.

The physical realmÆs link to the soul forge.

Soul forge abilities unlocked.

The power to repair, mend souls. To strip souls apart and put them back together. The ability to add souls to your abilities, familiars, items, trees. The ability to push souls to their limits and beyond. The ability to rank up a soul. The ability to fuse soul fragments whole and create artificial sub - souls from ordinary soul fragments.

Wisp shook, and then he split into three wisps.

Two then circled around the soul forge, orbiting it.

- YouÆve done it. An active soul forge. -

- Where do I start? -

- I suggest, given your now expanding reach, you need. assistants. -

- Okay, lead the way. -

- Not all souls were suited to make the journey to the afterlife, the aether dimension where souls returned, - the wisp explained.

Souls, though extremely durable, did fracture, crack, and decay from the presence of the outside world. Some souls were torn by the magic of men, between life and death. Some souls were stuck, lingering, seeking vengeance or salvation. Whatever it was, some souls couldnÆt make the journey. And for these souls, they decayed into fragments.

But it wasnÆt the end. Eventually, in the eternity of time, enough of these fragments would pool together and form a soul - body, one able to make the journey into the afterlife, where the administrator of souls could restore them and send them onward, to continue the eternal duty of souls. To reincarnate into the next life.

A Soul Forge assisted in this repairing and renewal process. It fused the fragments of ordinary decayed souls into a soul body, and the soul body then made the journey to the afterlife. But it left behind a - frame. -

It was an artificial thing, not possessing the limitless, self - sustaining life force of a soul, but yet, it was close enough.

To use an analogy, the soul was comprised of a car (an outer layer) and a driver (an inner layer). The decayed souls were broken cars, unable to continue their journey to the other side. The Soul Forge forged the broken parts of multiple broken cars together, such that, together, they could make that journey. But, once that journey was made, the inner layer, the driver, disappeared, but the outer layer, the car, remained.

This outer layer was the - artificial soul. - Like a person without a heart, it was close but not the same.

And with this artificial soul, we upgraded one of my very first abilities.

Soul - forge is fusing autopilot with an artificial soul.

Autopilot has transformed into Forest Mind, Level 1.

You may now name Forest Mind.

- Trevor. - I wanted Treevor, but never mind.

- I am Trevor, Level 1 Forest - Mind. Greetings, Master Tree - Tree. -

It speaks!

- I can handle the administrative, defensive, and organizational aspects of the valley on your behalf, and as I gain levels, you may select the skills and abilities I gain. Please assign me a duty. -

YEAR 74, MONTH 9

It was as if I was playing a strategy game, and now, I had unlocked the radar, giving me access to mini - maps, live indicators, and numerical representation of all the things going on before, just now with much better detail.

An example would be the normal trees. Previously, I had data indicating how many trees were connected to me via rootnet, but now that data was a lot more granular, like how many of those trees were producing seeds and fruits, the average age of trees, the estimated fertility of the ground, and estimates of how many trees would be added.

- The merchants have been spotted to the southwest, sir. - Yes, I thought I preferred sir over master.

And my alarm system.

- Good. -

- The elves are on their way. With the olives. -

There were certain things innate to Trevor, things that didnÆt need to be taught because they came naturally. Things like tree management, boosting growth rate, checking for new foreign objects, and managing mining and essence extractions.

- Master, I gained a level. -

- Yes, good. - He was now level five after a month of practice. There was a limitation with artificial souls, though.

Artificial souls started off with a level limit of twenty, and to break that, I needed to upgrade the artificial soul or fulfill certain set criteria.

As they got upgraded, their abilities grew, but according to the wisps, so would their tendency to. misbehave. So, in a way, artificial souls generally became less stable as they grew. But this was also influenced by various factors, such as the skill of the soul forger, the power of the soul forge, and various other unknowns.

Another was that Trevor leeched off my knowledge and fused it with its innate knowledge of tree - stuff. So, while it could handle forest - related matters superbly, it struggled to even talk about. communicating with its inhabitants. In fact, that communication it had with me was due to the fact that it was synchronized with me, and therefore, it could relay its message to me specifically.

So. in a way, I had an assistant no one knew about. That wouldnÆt matter to the elves, would it?

- How about me? - Meela popped by. Her soul was damaged by the journey, but I had used the Soul Forge to repair her. Still, it wasnÆt a complete repair. It seemed I would need to find additional upgrades for the Soul Forge to fully get back her power.

- I - I havenÆt thought of how to best use you. And you are due for reincarnation, no? -

- Oh, I spoke to Nobuo last night. He said I can stay for a thousand years before I return. -

- WhoÆs Nobuo? -

- Oh. the reincarnation god. -

- Huh. - I thought his name was Mozart? Or were there multiple reincarnation gods? - Why? -

- Oh. he assumed my soul was destroyed by the demons and would take a longer time to get back into the system, so he didnÆt arrange a subsequent reincarnation for me yet, so he says I can hang around for a thousand years. -

- ThatÆs awfully long for him. -

- Oh, time flows differently in the aether realm - itÆs like super - fast there. - MeelaÆs soul bobbed around.

- Really? - Well, I supposed it was like saying flies had short lives, and perhaps to these gods, our lives were like fliesÆ.

- Trevor, any suggestions? -

- No, sir. Souls are not my area of expertise. -

- Would you like a combat role? -

MeelaÆs soul spun. - No. I did a lot of fighting with the stupid demons, so. I could help with defenses if you need it, but. something more. domestic? -

- What do you like? -

- I like dancing, I like. kids. I used to volunteer as a kindergarten assistant, playing games and stuff. -

- Ah. anything else? -

Meela seemed slightly annoyed. - Why canÆt you just pick something? CanÆt I change it if I donÆt like it? -

Hmm.

- Wisp, is the Soul Forge fusion reversible? -

- For artificial souls, no. The disentangling process will shred them to a soul - frame (outer layer). For normal souls, yes, but the normal souls have a cooldown period. -

- You are right, Meela. It looks like you can change if you donÆt like it. I was afraid that it was an irreversible effect, in which case a mistake would be. terrible. -

- aahh. I see, I see. Well, I do like exploring places, eating food, and talking to people. You know, like a tourist. I think that would be nice. -

- A tourist, eh. - I canÆt create human bodies, so too bad. At most I can make a wooden puppet. wait. A wooden puppet might be a good idea.

- Is that it? - I asked.

- Hmm. I also like to draw and paint. And hang out with my siblings. -

- Sorry, I suddenly thought of it. DonÆt you miss your family or whoever where you came from? - I suddenly missed my nephew, too.

Meela paused. - I do. But like I said, time moves differently for different places. Relativity, interdimensional time - space and all that mumbo jumbo. This one thousand years is not going to be a thousand years in my home. Nobuo say he can send me back, without my memories, to the exact moment before we had the bus accident, and that accident would then not happen. According to him, the only thing I will get from this world once I return. is strange, unusual dreams. -

- Ah. -

- Yeah. Things will be back to the way they were, and all I get is a dream. -

- Like primary school essays, eh. Where you wake up and realize itÆs all been a dream. -

- Exactly. -

.

.

- Do you like doing. research? -

- No. -

- Hmm. How about you just pick something? -

- I donÆt know. -

- Seriously? -

- Yeah. -

- Any ideas? - I looked at the original Wisp, and he turned away. I took that as a no.

- Ah. Can you just be my secretary then? -

- Sounds lewd. No. -

YEAR 74, MONTH 9, WEEK 3

There were patches of subsidiary tree , with grapes and papaya in all the different refugee groups as a form of dietary supplement.

The refugees of New Freeka had swelled to two thousand, boosted by the - victory - over the large army. So New Freeka was bustling with activity as they tried to cater to the needs of a growing town, with Yvon and her group of advisors the unelected leaders. Most of the new refugees were mostly escapees as the war with Nung and Takde continued to devastate that region.

- I bring. troublesome news, tree spirit. - Yura nodded and sat at one of the tables in the inner circle of trees. He sipped on tea made with leaves and then continued. - YvonÆs group is planning to send a delegation to Salah. To negotiate a truce, for coexistence. -

- Oh. - How was that troublesome? Was it not worth trying?

- The refugees themselves, though, donÆt think that is a good idea. Many lost friends and family to the brutality of the Salah Kingdom, like us, and enmity is not going to accept a truce. Personally, I think Yvon still wants to coexist peacefully with humans. -

Hmm.

- So. the mood amongst the refugees is a bit conflicted. They are aware their options for revenge are limited, but they feel injustice and dissatisfaction at peace. -

And?

- Some of them think you should decide whether a truce would be a good idea. -

- Yes. Do you think Salah would hold on and honor a truce? -

- Well. -

- So, a truce is a good idea because it buys time. It gives us just cause to retaliate. -

Yura paused and then nodded. - Yeah. Maybe. -

Now that it was decided, I turned my attention to artificial souls.

- Thinking of making another? - Wisp asked, clearly knowing my thoughts.

- Yes. But I have much to think about. considering I have only sufficient fragmented souls to make. four more, for now. -

- People die, and over the eternities you will gather thousands, maybe millions of souls. Life in this world is so fragile after all. -

- Ah, true. Do these artificial souls die? -

- Yes, if they get destroyed. -

Kinda like computers, then.

It was then we directed our attention to the forge tree , a large tree located on the outer ring of my circle. Black in color, as if the tree itself had been scorched, it was split into five from top through the middle of the trunk. At the bottom, there was a big, black hole into a pitch - black screen.

And Yura gulped as he stepped in.

Soul Forge activating.

Merging artificial soul, tree familiar, essences of earth, and 50 essences of bear.

Familiar has transformed into a Bear - shaped Tree Eidolon, Level 1. You may name it.

- Bamboo. -

Yura walked out of the forge feeling a little dazed, wondering what happened. It was then that a smoke - like thing started to appear out of his skin. It then accumulated, spun, and swirled before transforming into a bear made of branches, twirling and spinning together.

- Hi. - A loud, hoarse voice broke the soft rustling sound of the forest.

Yura jumped. - What?! -

The bear took a few steps and stood on two legs like a grizzly. - I was once your familiar. With the blessings of the tree spirit, I have now transformed into an eidolon. -

- Eidolon? -

I would let Yura figure it out.

Next was a giant war beetle. The Soul Forge took a whole day to merge a war beetle with an artificial soul, but when it was finally complete, a large war beetle emerged.

War beetle has transformed into beetle knight, Level 1. You may name it.

- Horns. -

- Master, - it spoke to me telepathically.

- Great. Horns, you shall lead the beetles. -

- As you command. -

To assign more artificial souls, additional trees are needed.

Ah. It seemed each of these artificial souls derived some form of control and energy from me indirectly.

You obtained a beetle commander. Each tree with insect warriors has expanded to 5 beetles per tree.

You leveled up. Level 122!

Poison field upgraded.

Ah, man, I was hoping for some greater AoE abilities. Between all the other boosts and support I got, I probably had sufficient Root Strike s and Root Surge to kill two thousand men. If all died at a single Root Strike , the remainder would depend on the beetle army I oversaw.

If a large army of ten thousand came along again, the citizens of the valley would be done for.

YEAR 74, MONTH 10

Traders came by and brought news and money.

Salah was winning the war against both Nung and Takde, so they might soon turn their attention back to us again.

The traders also needed another load of olive oil. It seemed it was a rather popular product. They asked the elves whether the olive oil production could be expanded, and they replied, - Maybe. -

New Freeka was growing, and a further big influx of refugees resulted in a growth to almost three thousand. Food shortage was a problem, and so these refugees started engaging in hunting the nearby monsters, but Yvon directed them instead toward the open fields and lightly forested areas, where the less hostile animals and monsters spawned.

- We need food. Winter will be here soon. -

Yura paused. - Food? -

- Can the tree spirit help? -

- The tree spirit is not the solution to everything. - Yura shook his head. Thank you for speaking up for me!

Yvon and another of the senior New Freeka leaders looked at each other. - Surely, he can do. some things? -

Yura paused. - Hmm. -

- Perhaps help with some. fruits? -

- Fruits donÆt grow in winter. - That was a lie, some fruits did grow in winter. Especially with my winter resistance . Perhaps someday I would even get a Greenhouse - like ability. Hah. It sounded like a farming game then. Perhaps sprinklers, too.

Would I be a farmtree then?

- Hmm. I will speak to the tree spirit. -

Yvon nodded. - Please. If the refugee situation grows even further, we will have a food crisis over winter. -

- Then why are you still accepting more? -

- I canÆt turn them away. I made an oath to the gods when we started this fight, before this, to accept the non - human refugees, to offer safe haven to those who sought us out. -

- Ah. a godÆs oath? - Yura asks.

- Yes. To Morya. -

- Ah. ThatÆs one of the lesser, minor gods? Not Gaya? -

Yvon didnÆt answer, and Yura took the hint.

- Hmm. -

- So please ask the tree spirit for help. -

- I will ask. - Just as Yura was about to walk away, Yvon stopped him.

- Also. can the tree spirit create a tree in New Freeka? We can cater an area where a quiet sanctuary can be created. -

- Oh. Why? -

- The refugees have. spiritual needs. A place for prayer, ceremony, and faith. -

Yura nodded. - Ah, I see. I will speak to the tree spirit. -

It seemed Yvon and her team still couldnÆt identify which trees were actually my subsidiary trees. Camouflage ?

Oh, well.

- Can you let us know the tree spiritÆs decision tomorrow? -

- I will try. -

Later, once they left, Yura sat on a wooden stump right outside the secret hideout.

- What do you think? Did you hear what they said? -

I paused.

I supposed if we did assist, they might soon expect it annually. There must be a cost to it, so they must bear a price for my assistance. Power and abilities should not be given freely as there were consequences.

- Potatoes. Offer them potatoes. But it comes at a price. I demand a magical item in exchange. -

Yura paused. - Ah. what sort of magical item? -

- The number of potatoes I will nourish depends on what magical items they offer me. -

- Oh. -

- As for the tree for New Freeka, I am fine with that. -

- Ah. -

- HowÆs the eidolon coming along? -

Yura stood, and then suddenly, wooden armor surrounded him, and that armor looked like a grizzly bear, his arms and claws made of wood.

He took a few steps, and his posture and gait were like that of a giant bear.

- This is my new form. Ursa Mode . -

- Ah, so how is it? -

- Not bad. I feel stronger, faster. But without a real opponent, I will not really know how well it performs. -

- Get Yvon. -

Yura paused. - You want to show this to her? -

- It is fine. It is not as if she can do anything about it. -

Yura nodded and left for New Freeka to inform Yvon of the decision. Later that evening, a clearing was made in New Freeka that had been designated as a space for a subsidiary tree.

And indeed, overnight, a tree appeared in the middle of that space.

YEAR 74, MONTH 11

The artifacts offered were. uninteresting. Rings, daggers, all with mild enchantments. The possessions of the refugees were. not spectacular.

Or perhaps they were not hungry enough to offer what was truly valuable.

But they did offer quite a few, about thirty, so as a result, they received about three thousand large potatoes, which spawned right next to their town.

This level of precision was made possible by Trevor.

Other than that, the month was. quiet. The cold was coming again. Winter was starting.

Lozanna , now almost six, was starting actual combat training since she was still holding on to that hero idea. Brislah and Walen were old enough and yearned for social contact, so they demanded a move to New Freeka, even though Laufen had been a great caretaker.

I guessed even elves went through that teenage rebellious phase.

Belle and Emile, though, seemed to remember the destruction a lot more vividly than the younger kids, so they were staying put.

Maybe they wanted to do work other than preparing olives.

Yura shrugged and let them go. I gave both Brislah and Walen a regular tree familiar, just for protection, and Trevor would help me monitor them.

Elsewhere, my beetles explored a bit farther, just to get a sense of what was out there beyond the valley. Once again, this was made possible by Trevor and Horns.

Beyond the valley, farther down south, were the ruins of Moton where I once stayed. It seemed after the demonic wars it was never actually rebuilt.

Even farther south was a region under the Nung Kingdom, known as Rufas, and it was where the regionÆs temple of Gaya lay. Rufas was also a border city with Salah, and Moton in times past had frequently changed hands between Nung and Salah. A small town with few defenses, they often just surrendered when threatened. I suspected the temple of Gaya I once was in was there, but I couldnÆt be sure. Perhaps there were many, and I wondered whether the caretaker and GewaÆs body were still there. Rufas was large, heavily fortified, and I had little insight to its interior, beyond a spying beetle.

To the east and west were large fields, now populated with wild buffalos, goats, and some smaller animals. There were also monsters, but they didnÆt attack the regular animals.

On the eastern side, as we headed farther, there were the ruins of multiple different forts. Some were being rebuilt, but most remained as ruins. The damage and ruins looked fairly new, and the fields were littered with the dead.

After that, the eastern terrain deformed even more, and it looked as if the area had seen some really serious demonic battles.

At that point, the beetles returned. It seemed that was as far as they would go from home. It seemed there was a maximum range available to them, even with HornsÆs extended range support.

On the western side were first the fields, then some regrowing forests, and then some more ruins before the mountains. Moving on, there were some hot springs, then some lakes, and after that, a chain of active volcanoes.

On the northern side was where the demonic rift used to be. It was still mostly barren, and the beetles were frequently attacked by rather fearsome monsters that appeared there.

Horns advised a larger squad of beetles, should I intend to actually explore the areas closer to the demons.

YEAR 74, MONTH 12

Winter. Potatoes. The beetles slept - even Horns was operating at half - strength.

Winter was even colder than the previous year, but thankfully, most of the refugees were well prepared now. With some decent housing, heat retention from thicker walls, and a good stockpile of firewood, all the refugees were having a much more comfortable winter.

The centaurs, over this whole year, had constructed multiple large tents, with multiple layers of cloth and skin that helped slow down heat loss. They also built, with the aid of the treefolk, some drainage to help manage the rain that occurred frequently during the winter months. Potatoes, of course, were there as a reserve food.

The treefolk apparently also had a habit of storing food underground - apparently, they had a kind of magic that made a kind of fermented vegetable. It was their version of the winter cache, using cabbages mixed with all kinds of chili and vinegar.

Oh, and during the month, I gained an additional food variety.

Harvestable crops: Apples

Winter resistance upgraded.

The essence generators extracted all sorts of essences from the surroundings. So now that my roots extended the entire valley, it seemed it extracted from all the deaths in the valley.

YEAR 75, MONTH 1

Snow. Cold, cold snow.

Yura had a few sparring matches with Yvon. Yvon was stronger in pure swordfighting, due to her past experience as the right hand of the prince.

But then, once Yura activated his Ursa Form , his speed, strength, and natural defenses shot up, and Yvon was no match.

- Bear form? A summonerÆs ability? Or perhaps a beastmaster? -

- Ah. I have no clue, - Yura replied, being honest. I doubt Bamboo knows that much about his abilities, either.

- Hmm. -

Other than this, the delegation they sent to Salah had returned. One of them, at least.

And the leaders all rushed to meet him.

- Milady, the kingdom has agreed to a truce. -

Everyone was happy, but then this was too easy, so they asked further.

- What. what are the terms? -

- We are to take in all of the non - humans in the kingdom. In doing so, we have to pay a compensation of ten thousand gold coins a year for the next ten years. -

Yvon paused. - All? -

- Ten thousand gold coins? -

- They are extorting us, these terms. -

Yvon paused again. - Any more? -

- Your life, madam. They want your head. -

YEAR 75, MONTH 2

Yvon agreed to the truce, with a few modifications. Her death came after two years of peace. She didnÆt see herself as being so valuable that her life mattered more than the security and safety of the non - humans she swore an oath to protect. In fact, she felt it was a fitting way to die, a martyrÆs sacrifice, a trade of her life for two years of truce.

The second modification they proposed was to have the gold payment reduced, paid quarterly, and the first payment commencing after a year of peace.

The Salah Kingdom accepted the modified terms.

Why?

One was that they still managed to get rid of all the non - humans under this truce plan, and giving this space for Yvon to integrate the non - humans was ideal. In fact, it was probably their main goal, to create a human - only environment. There was racial tension, and getting rid of those troublesome elements was worth it for Salah, from a unity perspective. If they wanted to create a united kingdom, this might be one way to do so. The loyalties of these non - humans was always suspect, even though there was no evidence showing non - humans as more disloyal than humans.

Money was hardly an issue for a wealthy nation like Salah, and perhaps there were factions within Salah who saw additional benefits of getting rid of the non - humans. Salah no longer had to maintain multiple prisons, detention camps, armies, and soldiers to patrol their lands. In fact, to be able to reduce their logistical load and manpower need was probably what they wanted, so they could direct these resources to their current, ongoing conflict with the Nung and Takde. It was a concession they agreed to make, to deal with what they saw as a larger enemy.

As for Yvon, the very fact that they still got to kill her, even if after two years, without having to resort to war was a net save for their military. They got to focus on other fronts that gave them just cause. In fact, her agreement either way was as good as an admission of guilt. So even if this New Freeka decided to wage war someday, Salah was the one that was right. The neighboring kingdoms would be less likely to come to our aid, and they would be able to use overwhelming force, and even underhanded methods, without losing support of the humans.

Thinking it through, Yvon may have signed herself and New Freeka into a tough truce deal. But this was a positive outcome for her as she got peace, and she could better ensure the safety of the non - humans.

Anyway, it was a decision Yvon made for New Freeka, and it was probably a good decision. For me, I was initially a little peeved, but then as I pondered the issue, perhaps this would allow me to better investigate the culprits of FreekaÆs destruction and focus my vengeance. After all, if they had less reason to suspect and enter into battle with us, I could keep my abilities hidden, unknown, and I could use that as a surprise attack. If they realized someone was constantly using roots to attack, they might well chop all the trees down as a defensive measure.

Also, the traders brought news of the demon kingÆs corpse. The location had been discovered, but approaching the daemolite had proven to be exceptionally challenging as the locationÆs gravitational field had been disrupted, and so the entire area was floating in the sky. Add to that, the place was crawling with fire elementals.

But most importantly, the traders brought something I had been trying to find for a long time - a register of recorded spirits and magical places in the region, in addition to a rudimentary map where the nearest magical ley line was located.

A ley line!

I wanted one.

The nearest one was actually close to the ruins of Moton, so Horns investigated, as Yura refused to leave the valley. The beetle squad took about three days to get there, only to discover that it was actually. a small dungeon.

Dungeon, eh.

Conventional thinking. I would need to break the dungeon core to get to the ley line, but I wondered whether it was possible to hijack the ley line without having to mount an assault on the dungeon. In either case, having confirmed the location, I started spawning subsidiary trees in a line. This process took sixty subsidiary trees, as the gap between each tree was about one - and - a - half kilometers, and now I had a string of subsidiary trees that formed a link all the way to the dungeon.

Somehow, this reminded me of those strategy games where I sent a scout in a straight line, cutting through the fog of war.

The dungeon was pouring out a ton of monsters - mostly low - level ghouls, zombies, and skeletons. The beetles and Horns had to constantly fend off the group of marauding skeletons and zombies, but with a subsidiary tree nearby, they were able to regenerate and hold back the horde.

This was where I discovered I had. a problem. My war beetles were big, the size of rhinos, but the dungeon entrance was only big enough for three of them, side by side. And having so little space also meant the beetles lost a few of their combat advantages - i.e., their charge attacks. They did have very strong armor, but if there were stronger monsters in the dungeon, these beetles were kinda sitting ducks.

- Sire, I suggest we stay put and control the area for now, - Horns telepathically communicated. As an artificial soul linked to me, he could transmit his message to me directly, though he lacked any mouth that was capable of speech. So, even though he understood language. he could only speak to me. and the other artificial souls.

- We could set up defensive positions? - Trevor asked, also interested in this new expansion.

- ItÆs a dungeon. - Meela poked her head in, seeing what I saw. It seemed she was able to share my vision. I wasnÆt sure how she was able to do that.

Outside, in the open, the beetles could crush and ram the undead easily and render them useless.

But as an experiment, I sent a few beetles into the dungeon anyway, and as expected, they died once they were trapped. Dungeons with narrow passages were not the best places for oversized beetles.

So. I needed a different strategy.

Achieved long - distance connected roots. Unlocked new skill: Far - reaching roots.

Subsidiary tree has leveled up! Limit expanded to 400.

YEAR 75, MONTH 3

The truce between Salah and New Freeka was signed. Refugees were expelled.

More than three thousand new refugees came that month, and New Freeka soared to seven thousand in population. Massive construction was happening, but thankfully, it was spring, so there was a huge surge in new tree growth by myself and Trevor, and then there was also the dedicated timber farms (which produced no energy, as all of its energy was used to create more wood mass) meaning an ample supply of wood.

The new people were a mix of elves, centaurs, dwarves, and some humans, as there were some families where the humans intermarried with non - humans. Mostly humanoids, as they were the most acceptable to the humans, but still not enough. Yvon and her team were busy, and they expanded the town right next to the valley.

The forest was off - limits to the newcomers as there were monsters appearing. They were insect types, but they generally hunted the animals. It was also to prevent the newbies from. breaking the rules that had been set up. Of course, there were those that tried anyway, so. that was when the war beetles scared the shit out of them.

Anyway, back to the undead dungeon. The stalemate was still ongoing. I couldnÆt get into the dungeon, but they couldnÆt get out, either. Using additional subsidiary trees, I created a defensive line outside the dungeon, and any of the undead that appeared were instantly killed by Horns and their team.

Horns hit his level limit of twenty, and I was sad. His combat and support skills were quite interesting, but he had nothing useful in tiny. dungeons.

- How do I upgrade their level limits? -

- For who? Different unit types have distinct things. - Wisp bobbed around.

- LetÆs say Trevor? Trevor has also hit his limit. -

- A forest mind would require a brain. -

- Huh? -

Unlocked special tree type. Root - Brain Complex. Requires special minerals to grow. Special minerals required are 10 x Blood Crystals, and 50 x fresh animal heads.

The. what?

- Guys, I got a task for you, - I told the elves.

- As you wish. - Yura found some of his skills upgraded recently, and strangely, it made his behavior a little weird.

- How about me? Can I help, too? - Lozanna asked. She followed Yura everywhere these days - he was her combat mentor, after all.

- Uh. it depends whether youÆll be in danger. -

It later emerged that the blood crystals could be bought, and they werenÆt overly expensive. But Yura would have to raise some money for it, so we needed to either earn it or get it via other means. The olives sold provided a good sum of money but it was insufficient to afford blood crystals.

- Is there any loot from the dungeon you found? -

- Loot? -

- Things that are dropped by the monsters or creatures. -

- I - I donÆt know. I canÆt actually see it that well. Trevor, Horns, is there any? - My vision was mostly on living things and items made of mana. Inanimate, mana - less objects appeared as outlines, and frankly there were so many of these objects, I couldnÆt tell if they were any different.

- Yes, sire. There are some items dropped by the zombies and skeletons. We didnÆt pick them up, as. we donÆt have hands. But they look like ordinary items, sire. -

Horns! Tell me next time!

I later sent Emile and Belle, with a protective group of beetles, to pick up the loot. It turned out zombies and skeletons did drop some low - quality loot, but loot was still loot, and it could be sold for cash.

And then I realized I asked the wrong question of Wisp.

- Uh. how do I upgrade Horns? - I mean, if I did want to do more things around the valley and the region, Horns was the best candidate.

Wisp paused - Hmm. I donÆt know, actually. -

I was stumped. This must be a deliberate challenge. The system wanted me to figure it out myself, so when Horns returned to the valley, he went into the biolab .

Under the microscope, the warbeetle knightÆs body was unlike any other.

The body was dry and flaky, and there was a tiny spring of mana in the middle, which I thought was from an artificial soul. Unlike normal souls who poured out clear mana, the mana from this spring was light blue, as if somebody mixed flour and blue coloring into it.

The body, the vessel of said blue mana, was dry and. cold?

Body - mana type compatibility is low. Body absorption ratio is low.

Ah, the biolab had tooltips and indicators.

I focused on the spring, and another set of tooltips emerged.

Mana generation ratio hampered by low synchronization with external environment.

It looked like a lot of work was needed. I didnÆt recall seeing this many tooltips before, or was it because of the upgrades? Or the soul forge? I could do with a lab assistant, so I wondered whether I could fuse the biolab and an artificial soul?

Ah. Maybe I should do that next.

Anyway, back to the body. I recalled there was a freshness, a softness when I looked at MeelaÆs body. It seemed like the mana poured out of the spring, and the body lapped it up. Even with all the other bodies I had seen, the body lapped up and absorbed all the mana it produced.

Was this because I forced this creation? The body didnÆt absorb this foreign soul suddenly thrust into it?

Ah. if that was the case, did I need to begin a phase of introducing the artificial soulÆs mana to the vessel before performing the merge?

Soul forge annex added: Mana - soaking facility and compatibility tester.

Biolab upgraded. Additional lab tools obtained.

Ah.

Sounded like the answer was yes.

Still, I had a problem now. In Horns, the body and mana had low compatibility, so how did I fix it after the fact? Was there some kind of medicine I could make? Or maybe I needed to find some way to modify the body so that it absorbed and became more compatible with the artificial soul it housed.

Ah. Never mind. At the way things were going, I would find out.

I wanted artificial souls and assistants. and that ley line.

- Trevor, how many trees are growing this month? -

- We are on track for almost two thousand, sire. - At the current rate, the normal tree count would stand at around 13,850 at the end of the month.

If ten thousand could support three artificial souls, would twenty thousand support six?

- Sire. we require some precious gems - like emerald, topaz, or diamond. -

- Huh. why? -

- The rootnet will hit max load at twenty thousand and needs to be upgraded. There is an energy transmission capacity, and these precious gems can be used to upgrade the roots. -

Ah. Like power cables?

Damn. I had so many competing priorities! Could I mine these minerals somewhere?

- Are there any mines or locations where this is available? -

- The map says there are some abandoned mines closer to the demon rift. There is no data available on the resources available or whether anyone lives there. -

Hmm.

- How many of these gems do you need? -

- About 10kg worth, in any mixture, sire. It is sufficient to upgrade the main eight - directional roots that form the backbone of the rootnet. We are already consuming copper to upgrade the existing root networks. -

- Fine. letÆs send Horns and the beetles there. -

- But what about the dungeon? -

Ah, true. Damn it. Could I get the refugees to do it?

- Hey, I am still trying to get money for the blood crystals, so. I am busy. - Yura shook his head. He wasnÆt keen on the dungeon or the mines, either. He was just planning how to sell all the loot.

Laufen, Belle, and Emile were not fighters, so they were out, too.

- Can we try to buy them like blood crystals? -

- If we produce more olive oils, maybe we can buy them? -

- I think it wonÆt make a dent. Such gems are expensive, no? -

As we all discussed the matter, I asked, - Hey, Trevor, whatÆs considered a precious gem? -

- Emeralds, diamonds, topaz, rubies, pearls, aquamarine, garnet - almost anything crystalline. -

- Ah. - I wondered how Trevor knew such things sometimes.

- I leech off your knowledge, sire. When we are created, we take a snapshot of what the Soul Forge thinks is relevant to our roles, and periodically, we get additional knowledge from you and Wisp. -

- Wait, are you saying the Soul Forge is. sentient? -

Wisp suddenly popped up. - No. The Soul Forge has a certain categorization of information that it needs for each kind of role - i.e. combat, support, administrative, magical, and social. Your memories and knowledge are also classified into such categories, and the forge will match those roles to the knowledge. -

- How about you? - I mean, Wisp knew shit I didnÆt, so it must have come from somewhere.

- I have inherited knowledge, granted to the wisps of all soul trees. From the nameless mother herself. -

The nameless mother.

I wondered whether I could meet her.

Maybe I should dig really deep; maybe she was hiding deep underground in the heart of the planet.

YEAR 75, MONTH 4

Yvon and the leaders of New Freeka came to beg for aid. Their population had now boomed to ten thousand, and they had a real problem feeding and housing them all, even with the massive buildings they were assembling. There seemed to be some observers from Salah there, too, to ensure the truce terms were complied with.

Their problem was multifold really. Housing, food, how to make money for their truce obligations, and how to control such a large, restless, and unhappy population.

As they lived on the periphery of the forest, building and farming on the lands that were not yet forested, I left it to them. As long as they didnÆt encroach on the forest, I could allow space for YvonÆs group.

- I offer my soul. - Yvon kneeled, begged, really. - Anything, tree spirit. At this point, you are the only one that can offer us hope. -

- No. - One tiny soul to aid so many refugees? What did she take me for, a charity?

Then her entire council of fifteen men kneeled. - We offer our souls as well. We have fought long and hard together, for the dream of Prince Galan and Lady YvonÆs non - human state. Here we have a great chance to achieve it, and with the powers of a great tree spirit, we can achieve it. -

- Sixteen of your souls, for more than ten thousand refugees? -

- Yes. -

- Is that a good trade? - I asked Wisp.

- No idea. -

The sixteen kneeled. - Everything we have to offer and our remaining lives. Please, to house, to feed, to protect a fledging city; a great tree spirit can do more than we can. -

Uh, well, that was because your levels are so low. If one was a high enough level, one would get tremendous OP abilities - would they not?

- No. Not good enough. -

They looked at each other and decided to go back to New Freeka. New Freeka, at ten thousand inhabitants sprawled across the entire southern valley, essentially blocking off access to the forests that I lived in.

Ah, no matter.

As the Ginseng grew, it seemed that stranger, more powerful monsters spawned in the forests. Things harder for the Beetles to defeat, on some days, larger groups of monsters appeared.

Ginseng has reached stage 1 maturity. You may direct its next stage of growth.

Stage 2 growth choices are:

Mana growth and mana pool size. (Your mana will reduce by 1% for the entirety of the stage 2 growth period.)

Physical stat growth (Tree growth reduced by 5% during the entire growth period.)

Grant unique skills (Stronger monsters will appear during the entire stage 2 period.)

(Environmental choice) Grants title Survivor of the Valley . Title provides high - tier natural regeneration and increased defense.

There are twenty stages to the ginseng. Each successive stage increases monster spawn and stronger monster types, that will try to consume or destroy the ginseng tree.

Uh.

Uh.

Was this a protect the tree mini game?

I picked unique skills because why the fuck not?

YEAR 75, MONTH 4, WEEK 3

The stalemate continued. There was a dungeon I wanted to invade, and yet I sucked. Repeatedly attempting to charge into the dungeon seemed to have created stronger zombies and undead, so if I wanted to get to it, I had better attack with a strong force able to wipe it out in one go.

Meanwhile, Far - reaching Roots increased the distance between the subsidiary trees further, essentially doubling it. I was now trying to explore alternative means of locating the stuff that I needed to grow.

Back at the ginseng tree, a couple of strong monsters appeared this month. They killed a few beetles before they were defeated, so I increased the number of beetles defending it to fifty.

The treefolk and centaurs were relatively content, being like suburbs to the booming New Freeka.

Yvon and her group returned again for another round of begging, and once more, I turned them away.

And yet, in New Freeka, it seemed quite a few people - elves, humans, and dwarves - prayed at my subsidiary tree . And talked about their issues. Some of these refugees had taken on the role of a priest, limiting and controlling the sessions each one had to talk to that subsidiary tree. Even though I didnÆt respond.

Strange, but I supposed faith was needed, even when one was a refugee.

Some of these humans and dwarves had a culture of praying to the deity that controlled the land where they lived, even though they may not be a devout believer. It was an animistic kind of approach, to worship the land, but it was charming.

Special tree unlocked: Tree of Prayers

Tree of Prayers has a calming, relaxing effect on its surroundings. Has the ability to passively soothe and comfort. Comes with naturally calming background music of rustling leaves and wind.

Oh. This was like that time Brislah and Walen played hide and seek.

YEAR 75, MONTH 5

A massive tiger attacked my ginseng tree . It killed thirty beetles and managed to pull the ginseng tree out of the ground.

Then Trevor alerted me to the sudden attack.

And I killed it with multiple Root Strike s.

Ginseng tree has been killed.

Dammit.

Well, the ginseng tree was still lying on the ground, but it was dead. This fragile little thing.

I later had Laufen brew it into a soup, using tiger meat and ginseng - kind of like traditional Asian herbal soups.

I had Yura , Laufen, Emile, and Belle eat and drink the soup. Apparently, it tasted like roots.

They reported feeling strange but nothing else.

Maybe not so quickly? Or perhaps the ginseng was too young?

YEAR 75, MONTH 5, WEEK 2

Yvon came and begged for something again. This time, it was for us to create grapes. The Harvestable crops: grapes , and the idea was that they would make wine with it, to raise enough money to pay the terms of their truce.

Good idea, really. - So, whatÆs the offer? -

- My soul. I am marked for death anyway, so take my soul. -

A soul for a vineyard of grapes? It was quite a good deal.

- Fifty grape trees, - I said.

- Only? -

- Fifty confirmed grape trees, and I will use my abilities to boost a dedicated patch of land of four acres for grapes for the next ten years. -

- Hmm. -

- Your soul for a grape farm. -

One of her advisors shook her head. - No, itÆs too little. -

- How about ten acres? - Yvon asked

- Twelve acres, then. But I get a ten - percent cut of all wine sales, - I returned.

- Okay.

The deal was done. Spiritual contract - barter completed. The denizens of New Freeka would build the necessary grape trellis for the grapes to grow.

As agreed, fifty subsidiary trees designated under harvestable crops to produce grapes, in an area twelve acres wide, the rest of it just ordinary grape vines, boosted by mine and TrevorÆs growth mojo.

A wine industry in New Freeka. Fairly innovative of them, wanting to make high - value items for sale.

Level up! You are now level 123.

Skill: Reinforce defensive structures obtained.

Huh. How was that supposed to be a skill I learned at level 123? Sounded crappy.

YEAR 75, MONTH 6

The New Freeka inhabitants worked fast, using the grapes produced from the subsidiary trees. The first batch of wine had been made and was undergoing testing and tasting. One of the senior leaders was an old man who was apparently a wine connoisseur and had skills in winemaking , wine - ageing and so on. With his abilities, wines aged three times faster and were more resistant to spoilage. The timber farm produced a few varieties of fragrant wood types, and these were usable as wine kegs. Apparently, they could imbue additional texture and taste to the wine.

Huh. I kinda felt sad that I was a tree now. When I was a programmer, I drank occasionally to feel better about my stagnant career.

Maybe I should get them to pour some on my roots. I might still taste some.

Though I doubted alcohol would have any effect on a tree.

YEAR 75, MONTH 6, WEEK 3

Thanks to booming New Freeka, they were now at almost fifteen thousand non - humans, and more were expected. There was now a constant flow of merchants, and so the first set of the wines were given to them free as - samples, - for them to bring back to their hometowns and cities, hopefully to entice some nobles or wealthy merchants to support these products.

In either case, this burst of growth meant Yura could sell the loot collected, and the olive oil could be sold once ready - the benefits of an active market.

But we still didnÆt have enough money for the crystals to create the root brain complex .

How could a tree game or manipulate the economic system of this world anyway?

YEAR 75, MONTH 7

With an additional two thousand normal trees added to the valley per month, I hit twenty thousand normal trees this month. Thanks to this, it also triggered Trevor gaining a skill called Explosive Regeneration that he could use once a month. It allowed for a sudden regrowth of an entire section of forest that had suffered damage. The valleyÆs trees were getting denser and wider, but really, Trevor providing oversight allowed me to focus on the big picture stuff. It was kinda like that moment where you could delegate menial tasks that one didnÆt like to a robot.

The higher tree count also granted two additional artificial souls, but I had yet to think of what to do with them. I did have the biolab assistant idea, and going by the way Forest Mind helped tremendously in research, I suspected a biolab assistant might end up being an automated testing system - which was cool. It was like having a science officer reporting back with new stuff every now and then - kind of like those RTS games, where we would select something to research, pass a few turns. and ping!

- How about me? - Oh. Meela. I sometimes forgot she existed since she went to sleep often. Apparently, non - physical souls like herself had the option of putting themself into stasis or a sleep mode.Æ

- You actively reject every idea I put to you, and you still ask me for opinions. - I could use a secretary, but Trevor might get jealous. Or could he? I frankly had not understood the degree of sentience these artificial souls displayed.

- Because I really, really just like lazing around. I have done a whole lot of thinking, and this whole hero thing is bonkers. Maybe Max would be a hero given the choice again, but me, no. -

- You have a sense of good and evil, do you not? - The gods selected her, so. she had to. Or maybe the hero power kind of messed with her mind a bit. It wasnÆt beyond the godÆs ability to cause her to feel a strong compulsion to fight evil.

- ThatÆs because of my upbringing. I had great parents, but driving myself into doing hero things, all this fighting demons and monsters. no. I would rather be a bartender or an artist. Alexis would have been a teacher or a scientist. -

- Too bad sheÆs dead. Too bad they are all dead. -

- Ah yeah. - Meela made a noise that made me think she was frowning. - I wonder whether the rest of them. Where are they? -

- If they had a similar experience to you, maybe their souls are still drifting around. -

Meela paused. - What? -

- I mean, your soul got shredded and damaged so badly that you couldnÆt even move on to the next world. And somehow, you followed the familiars here. Your friends were there with you, so it would not be strange if their souls got shredded, too - donÆt you think so? Because they have no real attachment to this world, maybe they ended up just. floating around or something. -

This posed some interesting thoughts about the nature of the fragments I received when these heroes died. What exactly was I getting when I got the fragments? Their soul or something of an attachment or extension of their soul?

- Hmm. - MeelaÆs spirit bobbed around in the soul realm. She did that when she was bothered about something.

- What are you thinking? - I asked.

- Can you make an altar? - she replied.

- An altar? -

- Yes, yes. An altar. -

- Uh. okay. -

I later had the elves do it since my ability to manipulate stone and rock was fairly limited.

It was a simple one, created next to the site of the Tree of Prayer. Essentially, it was just a flat rock, like a prayer or offering table, with a few rocks stacked on top of each other into a. totem?

- Is there a priest amongst the refugees? - she asked.

- Huh. Where are you going with this? -

- I met a priest once who said that it was possible to offer a prayer to the souls of those still wandering, to lighten their load, to send them. away. IÆm hoping to pray to my friends souls, so they find solace and peace, so they. they go peacefully. -

- Huh. -

I relayed the request to Yura , and Yura then asked Yvon. They needed some time though as there were a lot of new refugees, and they didnÆt have a register of their respective skills.

- You want to pray so they can move on, eh? - I asked.

- Yeah. ThatÆs the least I can do, to help them along, no? They are my friends; I wouldnÆt want to see their souls stuck wandering this stupid, war - crazy world anyway. -

- War - crazy, eh? -

- You donÆt think so? - Meela sighed. Somehow, I heard that, even though she was a floating light. - I didnÆt realize it when I was alive, but. this world is obsessed with fighting. -

- An output of the world they live in. Demons, monsters. If your world had creatures like this, you would invent weapons to kill them, too. -

- I wish it wasnÆt so. -

- Bet plenty of people do, too. -

Other than that, the refugees were doing surprisingly well. With the first crates of wine sent out for deliveries, it seemed they were making good progress on winemaking. I had to give them credit for their entrepreneurial spirit, making such goods.

The stalemate with the dungeon continued, but if the refugees asked for help again, I was gonna ask them to help raid the damn dungeon. They could keep the loot, for the money, but I wanted the core. I had actually yet to decide what to do if I got it, but I knew I wanted it.

Lozanna followed Yura everywhere these days, and even though Yura was initially reluctant to take her as his apprentice, her persistence and cuteness somehow won over his old manÆs heart. He was aging, after all, and I supposed people mellowed as they aged.

- Tree - Tree. -

- Huh, yes. - Yura jolted me out of my overhead valley vision. - Yes. -

- ItÆs Lozanna . -

- Oh. What about her? -

- SheÆs. sheÆs not talented, but she keeps trying. -

- ThatÆs good. - I liked hard work.

- No. ItÆs bad. -

- Eh? Why? -

Yura paused and walked a few steps around my main tree, took a deep breath, and then sat. - Combat or fighting requires talent. It is the way of the world. Learn to fight to your strength, not pursue an idol whom you can never match.

- Think about it. If you are good at fighting with a sword, you learn to fight with a sword. If you have talent to be a mage, you learn magic. -

- Hmm. -

- What I am trying to say is. Lozanna Æs wasting her time by doing what she isnÆt naturally disposed to doing. But I donÆt know what else to teach her. -

- That seems kind of fatalistic, - Meela popped out and said to me. - Do people of this world believe that they should only hone their talents? -

Yura continued, unaware of MeelaÆs comment. - Maybe I can test her for other things and teach her self - defense, but perhaps she is best suited for. more non - combat chores, like her mother. -

- Ew. - Meela groaned.

- So, Tree - Tree, can you talk her out of her silly dream of becoming a hero? She may lose her life pointlessly pursuing a dream that is. erm. futile. -

- . -

- IsnÆt she too young? How does one know of talent? - I retorted.

- In most societies, by the age of six it is already possible to identify what one is talented in. And in Lozanna Æs case, sheÆs displaying a total lack of talent for fighting. -

I didnÆt like this conversation. At all.

- Please, Tree - Tree. IÆm trying to look out for her, so I think she needs to find something else to do. Something with a better use of her time. One doesnÆt teach a fish to fly or a bird to swim. Lozanna Æs trying, and I too admire that hard work, but itÆll set her on a path she is not meant to walk. -

Really.

- IÆll. IÆll think about it. -

I felt terrible even saying it, but I wanted to speak to Lozanna first, even though she was just a child. I wanted to hear her thoughts, and I thought it wasnÆt right, just because one wasnÆt talented, it didnÆt mean one couldnÆt pursue their dreams. But I did recognize Yura Æs comment, that if she was classed in a way that didnÆt fit her natural abilities, that was a bad thing as well.

- What do you think, Meela? -

- No. The girl has the right to do whatever she wants. -

- Even if she can do better elsewhere? -

- Yes. And canÆt you help her along? -

When Lozanna returned home later that evening, I spoke to her as she lazed on her bed. She had her own bed now that Brislah and Walen had moved to New Freeka, where they found work.

- Lozanna ? -

- Ah, Tree - Tree! - She rolled over and squeezed a bolster.

- HowÆs your training going with Uncle Yura ? -

- ItÆs hard! But I like it! -

- Really? Do you ever wonder if you should be doing something else? -

- YouÆre really asking her? - Meela poked in.

- I like it. I want to be a hero that can save everybody! A hero must know how to fight so I can protect everyone! - Did Lozanna Æs experience with the reincarnated heroes spawn this desire to be a hero? Was it because she still didnÆt fully comprehend the nature of the heroes divine gift?

- I see. - I chickened out. I just didnÆt have it in me to tell her to stop.

Was this my idealism that would somehow cross with the reality and cruelty of this world?

- Good. Encourage her! -

- Ah. is that not making it worse? Maybe she will realize as she grows older. This is perhaps a phase. -

Meela stopped. - Y - youÆre kicking this problem down the road. -

- Look, we donÆt know what the future holds. Maybe Yura is right, but maybe he is not. - I thought it was too early to tell.

- HeÆs wrong. -

- Maybe. I hope so. But what if he isnÆt? - This world could be. brutal. And mistakes were costly.

- SheÆs six. I didnÆt know what I wanted when I was six. -

Lozanna leaned back. - You know, Uncle Yura says I should learn how to do other things. And I think he is also right. Do you think thereÆs a way I can learn everything? But Mommy say I should not be greedy. -

I paused.

Meela paused, too, and after a brief moment, she laughed.

- SheÆs right. Do you have any skills that do that? -

- Hmm. maybe my Dream Tutor ? -

- Then itÆs settled! -

The little episode I had with the dream tutor also led me to wonder whether I could fuse an artificial soul and dream tutor, thereby creating a teacher - type character. Of course, I only had a few slots, and if anything, I had to think about them carefully since I was unlikely to be able to upgrade the rootnet as quickly to support the higher normal tree energy transfer, even though I could still grow the trees without any inhibitions.

So much to think about.

I wondered whether trees losing their leaves was a result of overthinking.

YEAR 75, MONTH 8

- A dungeon raid. -

- Yeah, - Yvon explained. The group gathered was about a hundred and fifty strong, comprising of the best fighters, mages, and healers the entirety of the valley had to offer, even Yura , who after some convincing, finally agreed to participate.

Even adventurers were not spared from the whole non - human eviction notice. Salah wasnÆt taking chances - all non - humans, no buts, no exceptions.

In a way, adventurers had it better than the other refugees since their skills were needed everywhere, and some neighboring nations were willing to accept non - human adventurers into their lands. They were skilled, mobile, usually self - sufficient, and were already somewhat nomadic, so this eviction hardly stung. If there was one less country, there were still many others.

- Are you our employer, Mistress Yvon? -

Yvon paused. - I guess you can say so. Our goal is simple. Grab the dungeon core, and if we canÆt, destroy it. The dungeon core, whether whole or broken, as you know, is worth a fair bit of money, and it will help us with our truce obligations. -

The gathered fighters chattered, prepping themselves for the raid, and then off they went into the dungeon.

I had no idea what was happening from the moment they went inside, but I waited, my beetles outside in case anything happened.

To be fair, I couldnÆt do anything if shit went down inside, but hey, I could cover them externally. Dungeons, from what I sensed, had similar space distortion abilities like I did, so just because I had them surrounded, it didnÆt actually mean they were.

So, in a way, all I could do was pray.

A full day and a half later, I got a ping via Bamboo.

- Master, the dungeon core has been obtained, but the dungeon - space is crumbling. - It seemed that after the dungeon core had been dislodged from the dungeon itself, the barrier that shielded the dungeon from the space beyond disappeared, hence why Bamboo was able to then telepathically communicate with me.

- How much time do you guys have? -

- No idea. We might be trapped in here. -

- Oh, no, youÆre not. -

The entrance to the dungeon vibrated and shook like an earthquake was happening.

- Are they going to die inside? - Meela seemed worried.

- How far in are you guys? -

- ItÆs a lot deeper than expected. ItÆll take us at least three hours to get out of the main chamber. -

No. This wasnÆt going to work. At the rate the dungeon was crumbling, they wouldnÆt make it. Hmm. What can I do, what can I do?

Ah.

Rootnet attempting to connect to dungeon - space.

- Trevor, help me out here. -

- Yes, sire. Synchronizing roots into the walls. -

With the dungeon core out of the way, the invisible barrier preventing me from spawning subsidiary tree within the dungeonÆs area of influence and entrance was also gone, so I spawned a few trees next to the entrance, and on top of it, and I guided my roots into the dungeon.

It sort of worked.

As the roots mixed in with the walls that were crumbling, it seemed the roots were taking over the distorted spaces, giving it the stability it needed.

Energy draining. Passageways reinforced.

It seemed some of the energy generated by my normal trees and subsidiary trees was being used to support this additional dungeon - space. It felt like a magically supported structure, centered around the dungeon core, which drew additional energy from the space and also the ley line beneath it. Now that centerpiece had suddenly disappeared, so it was as if an electrical circuit was without electricity and, oddly enough, I was coming in as the backup power source.

- The vibration is stopping, - Bamboo pinged, and as my roots reached deeper and deeper into the dungeon, I soon crossed paths with the escaping adventurers.

- The walls. - Yvon said. I could now hear her as my roots now covered the entirety of the labyrinth.

Dead. There were dead bodies. Adventurers, not all had survived. As they streamed past, I saw some carrying the injured, some carrying the dead.

- My roots can now extend into the labyrinth. You guys can calm down now. - I spoke to Yura directly as he came into range. He was fine, bleeding in some places, but relatively speaking, he was unscathed.

He immediately slowed down and told everyone that the tree spiritÆs roots were now stabilizing the dungeon, and so it would not collapse.

And with that, they took the chance to turn back and retrieve the rest of the bodies for a proper burial.

Yvon, too, had gotten her hand on the dungeon core, which she would let me examine in my biolab first before she arranged for a sale on the magical artifacts market.

New structure obtained: Root Dungeon.

Root dungeon: leftovers of a dungeon that happens to be stabilized by the roots of a tree spirit. DoesnÆt spawn monsters or loot.

New skill obtained: Root - tunnels.

Root tunnels, as the name suggests, are tunnels made from roots. Good for smuggling, transporting, storage, and hiding.

Sadly, the dungeon core was unscannable in my biolab . It was a biolab, not an everything - lab, so dungeon cores didnÆt register. Oh, well.

Anyway, that wasnÆt the purpose of me getting the dungeon core. That was the prize for YvonÆs group, as they would get to sell it. Of course, the agreement was such that some of the proceeds went to the treefolk, centaurs, and then Yura , who also contributed to the expedition.

The objective for me was the ley line.

And so, with a few subsidiary trees now above the ley line, I extended my roots down, attempting to reach for that ley line. It was my first exposure to a ley line, so I didnÆt really know what to expect, but according to Wisp, it was some kind of fourth dimension thing, so it popped up in places, disappeared, and then popped up elsewhere, still part of the same line. Every time it popped up, the things in its way would then be influenced by it, thus forming things like dungeon cores. The dungeon cores would then anchor the aether line, such that they didnÆt move elsewhere, though what was more likely to happen, was that a new dungeon core would often re - appear nearby.

Ley line connection initiated.

I felt instantly dizzy. It was as if I had drunk a whole keg of alcohol, and the entirety of its punch just hit me in one go. Was this magic intoxication?

- Yes. - Wisp popped in. - At least you didnÆt knock yourself out yet. Then again, you are quite high level, so this is to be expected. -

Ley line connected. The subsidiary trees above the ley line are merging. The three subsidiary trees have merged into a Special Structure - ThreeTrees of Mana .

ThreeTrees of Mana .

Created when one subsidiary tree couldnÆt handle the energy of a ley line, so three of them merged. An artifact of the ley line, this structure serves as the conduit of the ley line, so protect it as it is your connection to the ley line, in place of the dungeon core. Serves no other function.

ThreeTrees. Did the skill just do what I think? And, seriously, why did they make that tree so. visible? It was like a big blue tree growing out of nowhere, telling everyone of its presence.

Come on, first the ginseng tree, now this. The system was trying to paint me as a target. Or was this some kind of subliminal messaging saying that trees were always targets, and we should always protect them?

- Uh. - I felt the dizziness slowly drain away from me, and my mind started to regain its senses. Then, even more updates!

Ley lines were awesome after all.

Due to the additional energy types supplied, Soul Forge - Black unlocked .

Soul Forge - Black allows for the conversion of undead spirits back into regular souls, reversing the effects of necromancy and the removal of the dark energies of a soul.

Additional repairs of damaged souls now possible.

Creation of Soul Harvesters now possible.

Soul Harvesters.

Some call them the grim reaper, some refer to them as Valkyries. These are traveling collectors of souls. They extend your soul harvesting reach and can be directed to specific places, such as battlefields and graveyards to collect souls. Souls collected have a higher chance of containing transferable experience.

Due to the presence of two colors, the following fused abilities are now available.

Nightmare collectors.

A special ghost type that steals nightmares.

Memory collection.

Using the dark arts, a small percentage of memories of the dead will be converted into skill essences.

I was already losing the leaves on my branches thinking about so many things, and now I had more to think about. First of all, the Soul Forge had different color types, which supplied different abilities. I had blue and now black, and that was like pure control deck archetype, wasnÆt it? But I was a tree. so did that make me. a blue - black - green deck?

Anyway, it was time to ignore that little snippet about trading cards.

How many colors were there? If I was to hazard a guess, the black came from the fact that this was specifically an undead dungeon, so there was probably some linkage. If I went to the volcano, would I get red? And in a magical glade or something, would I get green?

That was another thing to add to the to - do list.

Next was to further repair MeelaÆs soul. This second repair didnÆt do much, other than allow her to stay awake and active more often. Also, I was really tempted to fuse her soul with a soul harvester. SheÆd be a Valkyrie! Or a ghost! But she said no, though she promised to think about it.

She should be a nightmare collector then. Kinda like that Saw guy, no? Or was that the guy with the spiky nails? Once again, she vehemently rejected the idea.

- IÆm a cute little girl. I ainÆt becoming your haunted ghost. -

- But cute little girls make the best scary ghosts! - I pleaded.

YEAR 75, MONTH 9

The month started with rain. Rather heavy rain, though it was nothing damaging as there was natural drainage within the valley itself. As the clouds dumped water into the valley, the roots rejoiced. The trees all craved water, so the roots lapped it all up. The water released was absorbed by the growing number of normal trees and subsidiary trees, and it sated, for a moment, the valleyÆs ever - increasing demand for water.

For New Freeka, they had to work harder. Yvon and team had to quickly repair and setup additional drainages. They had expanded so quickly to accommodate the large quantities of housing that the existing drainage was just not adequate. Flooding occurred in a few spots, but with some construction - type magic, temporary drainages could be built rather quickly.

The centaurs had some tents run off in the sudden downpour. Because they lived on hills and slopes, they were trading off flooding for mudslides and rockslides.

Even so, a few of the refugees drowned due to the sudden flash floods. There was nothing like a bit of death and destruction to teach a lesson about infrastructure planning, as morbid as that sounded.

And after the event, there was usually some kind of death ceremony, a burial or cremation, or for the first time, I witnessed a real oddity - the death ceremony of a treefolk, where the treefolk was cut up into many pieces. and served as a kind of soup, for the kin to consume.

- For our loved ones live forever in us and as a part of us. We are treefolk, and we carry the memories and lives of those who passed away before us. -

Strange, but I supposed the ceremonial, ritualistic aspect of life was very much well preserved.

Lately, I had been getting more. prayers. It was similar to the conversations I used to have in Freeka, with the elves, where they would come and sit next to me and talk. It had to do with the tree of prayer and their belief that soul trees were a way of communion with their ancestors, gods, or whoever they worshiped.

So, in some societies, a soul tree , a shamanic totem , or a spiritual rock had a similar function as a church or temple - like some kind of merger between druid beliefs and conventional religion.

- Oh, tree, oh, tree, make me rich, and make me free. -

Huh, a refugee praying for money. As if the trees had the power to grant someone a fortune.

- Actually, you do have some limited power to do so, - Wisp interjected, and I brushed him off. I wasnÆt going to make somebody rich. Otherwise, IÆd have people praying to me for winning lottery tickets.

- Oh, tree, oh, tree, let me be free of my stupid husband. -

Ah. one of those. Did I have powers over domestic happiness?

- In some ways, if you are creative, you do! -

Damn it, Wisp.

- Oh, tree, oh, tree, make us safe and stop all of this running. Let us find a home, where we can live in peace of the rest of our lives. -

The common prayer of refugees, sick of running away, and looking for a final place to stay. I totally sympathized. I recalled being evicted as a tenant, and that was a horrible experience.

- Oh, tree, oh, tree, kill the humans. Kill those who make us go through this suffering. -

Ah, the vengeful, too. Such was the anger from those who lost their families or friends. Vengeance was a common prayer topic. After all, refugees all had plenty of grievances from the experiences they went through.

And my Tree of Prayer responded to such energy, absorbing some of it and converting it into Essence of Mercy , Essence of Hope , Essence of Anger , and Essence of Vengeance , and in doing so, it also helped to reduce that anger and emotion in those who prayed. That said, the rate of conversion was really low. Perhaps as it was just a prayer, the energy within that prayer was minimal.

Or maybe the absorption ratio improved as I leveled up this skill. Who knew? Maybe I should consider merging a Tree of Prayer with an Artificial Soul . Maybe that would create a Tree - priest .

This month, the traders also brought in news about Salah, concerning their ongoing wars with the Nung and Takde Kingdoms.

Salah was winning, and so Nung and Takde had now formed a coalition, with possibly other nations that had historical grievances with Salah. Of course, in SalahÆs eyes, this was treated as an escalation, and Salah was now trying to get its own allies in, so there were hints of a bigger regional conflict brewing. If additional nations joined the war, New Freeka might end up being right smack in the middle of the war, instead of being on the other end of the battlefield.

This was of little concern to me. If Salah got owned in a battle, that wasnÆt my problem. But this news worried Yvon, so she and her council scrambled to send people to all the nearby nations to declare some kind of neutrality toward this conflict. New Freeka, as a young nation, was still trying to comply with its truce terms and safeguard its new citizens. It was deeply concerned with any disruption to its growing trade and food supply.

Personally, my ideal outcome was for the battles to be fought around me, without affecting me, such that I gained the souls from all this. conflict.

But this conflict also exposed the ThreeTrees of Mana - as in it was a big blue shoot me sign in the area. It was huge, it was obvious, and it did nothing else. It was also quite far from me, as that was where the ley line was.

At that moment, I was uncertain whether anyone would react to the presence of the ThreeTrees of Mana . Perhaps the nearby nations would ignore it. Perhaps they would think it was some kind of strategic asset and seize it. or anything, really.

So, if a conflict did happen, protecting the ThreeTree would also be something I needed to do. If the nations turned hostile, defending it was my priority.

Theoretically speaking, the location of the ThreeTrees of Mana was already contested territory. Abandoned during the previous demonic battles, its last owner was the kingdom of Salah, but historically, that plot of land had changed owners a few times. Unlike the valley of Freeka, which was somewhat legally under the truce arrangement, a part of this new nation of New Freeka.

Even if Yvon managed to get some kind of neutrality declared for the valley, that neutrality would likely not extend to this newly claimed area of mine. In fact, it might even be seen as a hostile act from New Freeka in claiming that dungeon. So I might have invalidated the truce already!

But I would not part with the ley line. That was a fact, so if a battle did pop up, I would defend it, and unfortunately for the New Freekans, I would have to drag them into the battle if I had to.

Ah, there were so many moving variables, though. so many ifs. If only I had eyes and ears in all the nearby nations.

Hah.

- YouÆre overthinking. - Meela popped up, poking her head into my thoughts.

- Why? IÆll end up dragging the refugees into battle. which is bad for them. So I should be thinking about what to do next carefully, no? -

- It hasnÆt happened yet, right? -

- ThatÆs not how I see it. - Not planning for things was how I got into trouble the last time. I should do better, right?

- I think youÆre getting a bit too into that whole long - termist tree thinking. -

- Uh, and thatÆs wrong because? -

- Uh. how about the here and now? -

- It is just reality that I have to plan a bit more into the future. IÆm a tree. I canÆt just wing it. -

I also discovered that Meela had experienced some changes from the additional repair in the Soul Forge - Black . She gained a bit more awareness of my thoughts, and to some extent, she knew what I was thinking. It was unnerving as I didnÆt enjoy having my mind read. She denied it anyway. She just said she had a very good innate sense of what my thoughts were, but she wasnÆt reading my mind.

But all souls got their minds read. a little. According to Wisp, a soul tree could very well read and rummage through the memories of the souls that passed through it, if certain conditions and abilities were met, and this exchange was. mutual. Of course, for most souls, this didnÆt really matter because when they reincarnated, they forgot them. Heroes, however, retained their memories, and if they carried knowledge of a soul tree into their next life, that made them rather. dangerous. Frankly, the mechanism was still confusing. Apparently, some reincarnation gods would wipe the memories clean, but some didnÆt.

Someday, if I met Mozart again, I needed to ask him about this memory wipe thing. How did it even work?

Ah.

- Meela, so, what would you do? If this war happens, my ley line is under threat. -

- Fight them off, then. -

- So, you agree with me. -

- No. How does anyone know that bunch of trees is related to New Freeka anyway? Most people canÆt even tell two trees apart! -

MeelaÆs spirit bobbed around and twirled.

- So, act as if the two sides are separate, unrelated camps, - she continued. - Find a way to delink the two, visually. If they look different, nobodyÆs gonna suspect the two tree groups are related. DonÆt you have some kind of ability to make it as if they look different. or you donÆt? Perhaps a Camouflage or Illusion skill? And do you have a way to remove the straight line of subsidiary trees, so that itÆs not so. erm. obvious? -

I paused. That was a good idea. - When were you this smart? YouÆve always given me the happy but slightly mentally retarded hero girl impression. -

- Uh. IÆm a designated reincarnated hero. I get like super - boosts to my intelligence stats. -

- Really! -

- Yes! Apparently, all heroes get like tactical genius as a perk. -

Really, that sounded like rubbish. I didnÆt recall them being tactically smart at all, and in fact, they often relied on their cheat ability to get themselves out of tough situations.

- You sure donÆt act like it all the time. -

Meela pouted. - Okay, I lied, thereÆs no such perk! But I mean, I can think if I want to. WeÆre not exactly idiots. -

- Then? -

- ThatÆs me rejecting the need to work hard and refusing to think too hard through my solutions. I live life with the Pareto theory. If twenty percent effort is sufficient to get an eighty percent score, IÆll do it, and IÆll leave the eighty percent effort for fun stuff. Anything that pops up, I wing it with my natural talent and ability. -

Mental slap, please.

- I mean, thatÆs the best you can do, - she concluded. - Cut the connection, and if they are under attack, defend it. They might not even pay attention, and the location of the battle might not even be there, and youÆve just prepared for nothing. So do what you can and then donÆt worry about it. -

- Fair, fair. Are you still considering my offer as a secretary? -

- No. -

- Trevor, did you catch MeelaÆs suggestion? Are you able to alter the look of the forests around the ThreeTrees of Mana? -

- Yes, sire. The energy and mana from the ThreeTrees of Mana contain certain specific aesthetic variations - courtesy of the Soul Forge - Black - that we can apply to the florae in that locality. -

- Good, next is, how about. hiding the line of trees that link this valley to the ley line? -

- We can create subsidiary trees that are mostly hidden underground like a kind of small tuberous plant, with only a small shrub appearing above. That way, while there is still a portion of trees that are above ground and can be spotted, they would not stick out as obvious, and they could be easily disguised by a thick overgrowth of other shrubs and weeds. But the trade - off is that they lose their customizable branches function, and our line of sight in that area would be significantly reduced. -

- Well, itÆs worth it, I think, so do it. - Ah, things were going smoothly!

- Yes, Sire. As you command. -

- Wisp, your turn. Are we able to merge an artificial soul with the ThreeTrees of Mana ? - The logic of me doing this was simple. If it could level up, it would be stronger and with some sentience, so then ThreeTrees could defend itself better.

- No. That is actually a connection with your Soul Forge - Black , so you cannot merge it. ItÆs like a forge trying to forge itself. -

That made sense. - Fine, so I need some kind of defensive unit at that location then. -

I turned to Meela.

- Since you have so much to say. mind being some kind of defender? -

- I like talking with you, so no thanks. I like being here a lot more. -

- Come on, youÆre the best! Besides, you can still talk to me -

- Master! - Trevor and Horns both butted in.

- Yes? -

- Riders spotted on the horizon, heading toward us at high speed. They will probably close in on the treefolk village soon. They all have a rather significant magical presence. -

Ah, how strange. It was as if they advertised that they were powerful mages, so I hovered over to check them out as they passed by some of the subsidiary trees.

- How far is it? - I heard them say, riding. It was a group of five, all on horseback.

- No idea, but its ahead. -

- The horses are exhausted, and I am out of Vitality Restoration . -

- WeÆll arrive by nightfall. Hang in there, horses. - One of them patted their horse, trying to encourage them to keep riding.

- Should we interfere? - Trevor asked.

- Wait. Watch. - I didnÆt think they were hostile, at least, not yet.

They soon arrived at the forest, but the treefolk were not their focus. They headed straight to New Freeka and demanded to meet with their leaders. Were they some kind of magical emissary?

Thanks to a subsidiary tree right next to the meeting place, I could somewhat eavesdrop on the conversation.

- Hi, who are you people? - a man asked. He was one of YvonÆs inner circle and one of those involved in the dungeon raid. He was armed and stood in front of the rest of them. He was the first to appear from the leaderÆs house.

- We are representatives of the King of Baroosh. We come seeking a great healer, wizard, and magician to aid our ailing princess. -

- Oh. ThereÆs no - the man started to respond.

Yvon stepped ahead, signaling for the man to let them keep talking.

The Baroosh man, the leader of the five of them, continued. - The princess is gravely ill, and we seek the aid of the great healer to come to our capital and heal our princess. -

- Yes, we heard that. But why would the great Baroosh come to our town in search of such a great healer? Surely, the great cities have far more talented mages, wizards, and priests. -

- Ah, I am afraid the disease our princess has is. unique. Our great oracle has had a vision that here lies the cure, the solution to that disease. -

- I am afraid there is no such great healer here. - Yvon shook her head. - You may ask every one of us if you donÆt take our word. You may walk and explore our town and knock from door to door, but we know not of any great healer or cure. -

The man paused, perhaps thinking of some kind of retort. - Hmm. is that so? Never mind. May we rest in your town for a few days or weeks? Perhaps among the refugees are some hidden geniuses in the art of healing. -

Yvon smiled. - Certainly, please do feel free to make use of our guesthouse. -

Later in the guesthouse, the Baroosh men spoke. Once again, courtesy of a conveniently placed subsidiary tree , I could catch some of their conversation.

- Is she lying? -

- No. My Truth Detection didnÆt trigger, nor did my Detect False Statements . They are being honest when they say there are no great healers here. -

- Hmm. Maybe they donÆt know. -

- Exactly. This place is a hive of refugees - so many that run here - easily a few thousand of them. Some of them may be hiding their talents, and the leaders know not of their talent. -

- But Salah never had a great healer, either. -

- Indeed. It is strange that the oracle guides us here. -

- You know how oracles are, they will answer your question, but it may be because our question is not correct, - one of the men said while munching on some potato salad. - Maybe itÆs a trick answer, and we need to look for something else. -

- Whatever it is, we canÆt go back without the healer. WeÆll get our heads chopped off. We start our search for the healer after we rest tonight. -

YEAR 75, MONTH 10

My ginseng tree got attacked by a flying creature. It pulled it out of the ground before a Root Strike struck its head. So, once again, I had to restart my ginseng tree. My constant failure to cultivate and protect my ginseng tree reminded me I still had a problem with airborne monsters. Maybe I could get flying leaves as a weapon, kinda like Pokemon.

Right?

Or maybe I could shoot seeds as a projectile like the rapid - fire machine gun in PvZ. I already had fruit bombs, so launchable fruits would turn them into fruit - artillery and fruit - flak cannons? Come on, system, give me something similar or a skill like that?

A fruit cannon. A seed cannon would be fine, too. Something to shoot at all these flying monsters that were starting to really bug me.

System? Give me a skill, please?

Insect warrior variation unlocked: Web - trap Spiders.

New customizable branch option: Web - trap spider nests. Home to 3 web - building spiders.

Web - building spiders have few direct combat abilities except for their poisonous fangs, but they are able to build webs between your trees, laced with paralyzing poisons, and build trapping cocoons.

Uh.

Not exactly what I wanted, but I supposed a spider able to build traps was still better than nothing, so I designated one.

A spider crawled out, and it was really rather tiny, about the size of a small dog. Each of the spiders could build and maintain three sets of webs, one branch had three spiders, and so there would be nine webs.

The first spider quickly demonstrated its ability, building a massive web between the branches and trees, about ten meters across and wide, and it counted as one web. For anti - air, it wasnÆt exactly ideal, after all, if a dragon or something came up, a trap like this wasnÆt going to work, was it?

Ah, a tree couldnÆt decide which insects would live in it, so fine. webs and spiders.

- ThereÆs a spider! - Yura shouted and pulled out his sword. He had just come out of the hideout and was surprised to see a spider so near to the main tree. I guessed having a bunch of webs right above his head kinda shocked him, too.

- No. Stop. ItÆs my minion. -

- Really? -

- Yes. -

- The girls are not going to like it. At least the beetles kind of look like giant armor, but this spider looks like a fuzzy. monster. And itÆs dark brown and black. -

- I frankly didnÆt realize it was creepy. -

- EEP! ! - Belle screamed when she, too, stepped out of the hideout and spotted the spider.

- ItÆs one of my new. minions. They are. my anti - air defense. -

- Can we not have them near here, at least? - Laufen too had come out after hearing BelleÆs screams.

Hmm. I mentally commanded the spiders to build their webs higher up, perhaps between the canopy layer of trees. That way they didnÆt come across the refugees or elves so often - except for the ginseng tree area, which I would cover in multiple layers of webs, just to prevent airborne monsters from pulling the tiny ginseng tree out of the ground again.

With that, the spiders hid away in the treetops, and the elves went on their way. Except Yura .

- Bamboo has been rather talkative lately since he hit level twenty and capped out. -

- Oh, how is he? - I asked as a bear made of wood appeared next to Yura .

- I am fine, Master. I recently acquired this wood - form summon that allows me to take this rather weak form, but at least I can act independently. -

- Yeah, heÆs been telling me about having to upgrade from an eidolon to unlock more powers. -

- Yes, Master Tree - Tree. - Bamboo approached and stood next to the Forge Tree . As he did, a prompt appeared.

Bamboo, Woodbear Eidolon, has reached his level cap. To upgrade (i.e. to Level 30), the following options are available:

Blue - Armor path - 50 small copper ingots & 5 medium red rubies needed.

Black - Claw path - 50 small iron ingots & 5 medium onyx needed.

Ah.

For artificial souls, they started off with a level twenty cap, and if I had a single - color Soul Forge , I could unlock one upgrade - i.e., level thirty. Each extra color increased the upgrade by one, so, if I had all the necessary resources, I could upgrade twice to level forty.

It seemed the colors of the Soul Forge represented something lacking in the artificial souls. Each color added an effect and made a more robust artificial soul.

- Tree - Tree? -

- IÆm afraid we need to acquire some resources to do this. Can you get five medium red rubies and five medium onyx and a lot of copper ingots? -

Yura paused. - Is this like the blood crystal thing? -

- Yes. Where are you on that, anyway? - Ah, yes, Trevor also needs an upgrade. All three of my first artificial souls had reached their level cap.

- ItÆs being shipped here. After the dungeon raid, IÆd gotten enough money to buy it, but the trader said the supplier was really far away, so it will take some time. Maybe next month weÆll get it. -

- Fine then. Are the visitors bothering you? - I asked.

- Yeah. They seem to be looking for some great healer or some great magical cure, but we donÆt know of any. But they are still here, claiming that their oracle never lies. -

- Should we be afraid of them? - Lozanna then popped out, asking the question of Yura .

- Well, not really. But Baroosh is one of the larger kingdoms around - at the same level as Salah - so they are a respectable force. Making allies of them would be ideal for Yvon and gang, but we really donÆt have healers to offer. - Yura Æs response was actually meant for the elves, but it was also an education for me because the names of all these nations did tend to slip by me.

YEAR 75, MONTH 11, WEEK 2

A great battle broke out in the conflict between Takde, Nung, and Salah, and a great, cursed spell was cast - one that sacrificed the lives of twenty - five thousand soldiers and with it, created an exceptionally harsh winter in that area. and beyond.

The spell was so powerful that it summoned a vortex, a magical vortex of ice and frost, and then the region transformed into a snow - covered land, one of blizzards, snowstorms, and strong gusts of wind.

That spell extended to the entirety of the valley, overnight, from what was normally a light rain, into snow and ice. Thick snow. A terrible cold snap. A few of the smaller streams even froze over.

This stunted the growth of the regionÆs crops, already reeling from the earlier mild winter.

Everyone was prepared for winter, so a huge stockpile was already here. New FreekaÆs efforts to vastly expand their farmlands and crop cultivation meant they were facing this intense cold with at least a few warehouses and silos full of harvested, preserved vegetables and grain. What was meant to be their solution to a migrant surge became a solution for an exceptionally bad winter, though I wondered how long this stockpile would last.

Since it was a great battle, I figured there must have been a lot of death, a lot of souls still lingering in the battlefield, so I decided to send my many soul harvesters there. They were like faint ghosts, and so they could travel really far, but it would take a while for them to come back. With the soul harvesters, they expanded the range of my soul absorption to almost the entire continent, which was massive.

Massive!

Also, the group from Baroosh expanded, after about two weeks.

- I am disappointed, Apprentice. - A wizard stepped through the portal, escorting the sick princess and followed by a healer and a paladin. They were surprised by the sudden cold, but they came well prepared and put on thick jackets and shawls. I supposed their princess had waited a bit too long.

- My sincere apologies, Teacher. We have tried to ask every single one here, and yet we couldnÆt find one that we think has potential. ThatÆs why we asked the oracle whether the healer had moved or gone away. -

- Excuses. - The wizard was old, had flowing white, wrinkly hair, and, I noted, also a typical wizardÆs hat with a pointy tip.

The man bowed and didnÆt respond.

The princess followed behind. She had a very faint presence, and her steps were soft and light, the healer supporting her every step and movement. I also noticed the healer using some kind of potion on her, at regular intervals, especially when she started shivering.

The wizard talked with the existing group for a while and then stopped.

- Well, letÆs find that healer. - He cast a strange magical spell, and then from a small metal case, a magical arrow appeared and spun in circles. It kept on spinning, even pointing downward at times.

The wizard then paused and looked at the man. The man looked equally dumbfounded.

- This. - The wizard seemed stumped, and the paladin stepped up next to him.

- Wizard, whatÆs the meaning of this? -

- This artifact is the Compass of Oracles, and it links and augments the oracleÆs ability so that we can locate whoever or whatever the oracle learns. -

- Get to the point, Wizard. Why is it flying everywhere? -

- I - I donÆt know. - Yet the wizardÆs initial confusion turned into a strange smile. The earlier group looked puzzled.

- Whatever. ItÆs cold. LetÆs continue this conversation indoors. The princess cannot take this weather for very long, - the healer insisted, and they retreated to the warmth of their guesthouse.

- So. whatÆs with this cold? - the healer asked as he tended to the frail princess in the guesthouse.

- Aftermath of the Salah wars. Someone used a great blizzard vortex spell, with blood sacrifice. -

The wizard, though, seemed laser focused, analyzing the Compass of Oracles. It still spanned everywhere.

- Any ideas, Wizard? - one of the men finally dared to ask.

- Maybe. Maybe the land is a nourishing factor. I will need to test it out. -

- The land? This freezing place? -

The wizard ignored the man.

Next, the wizard ran outside and cast a few spells I couldnÆt quite identify or observe. He did that for a good half a day, constantly casting spell after spell, though nothing in particular seemed to be happening. At this point, I was feeling a little bit. defensive. A wizard had come to New Freeka and started using a whole bunch of spells. that felt a little too close for comfort, so I kept watch.

A group of high - powered people in search of something, casting weird spells? That was just ringing all the bells.

- ThatÆs really odd, - the wizard mumbled.

- WhatÆs odd? - one of the men, who seemed to be the wizardÆs apprentice of some sort, asked as he came out to accompany his master.

- The readings and compass all point through this entire valley, and yet I donÆt detect any kind of magical presence from the earth - or is it muffled or suppressed somehow because of this stupid blizzard effect on the weather of this entire place? -

The apprentice shrugged and shook his head. - I did tell you this place is. rather unusual. -

- That cannot be. Magic still flows in this entire valley, and yet there is something that also envelops this valley like a large piece of cloth hiding furniture. -

- If it is so, then the healer picked the best place to hide. -

- No. I doubt the healer knows. There is more to this. Tell me, are there any magical structures? Is there a holy relic or artifact here? -

- You know, if you say itÆs the entire valley, that kind of reminds me. Some of the people here worship a tree, you know. Do you want to go and see it? -

The wizard nodded. - At this moment, there are few other leads. LetÆs go. -

They braved the snowstorm, that was almost perpetual now, to go to the Tree of Prayer , the courtyard now coated in a layer of white snow, which actually wasnÆt the only color of snow, surprisingly. In some parts of the world, there was a kind of magical aberration that turned snow into different colors - like green, blue, yellow, or purple. Anyway, I digressed.

- So this is the tree they pray to, - the apprentice said.

The wizard then cast a spell. Detect Magic .

And nothing happened.

- Hmm. -

Next, the wizard paused and cast Fire Spark at the Prayer Tree.

Again, nothing happened.

- ThereÆs a hostile magic suppression aura here. ItÆs present throughout the entirety of the valley, and thatÆs why a few of my spells seem to be not responding, particularly those of the probing type, - the wizard explained to the apprentice.

- But it is no denser here, so I doubt this tree is the source of it. -

- Huh, maybe thatÆs because the tree is everywhere. - The apprentice shrugged. - I hear the locals say the entire forest belongs to the tree that rules this valley, and entry would be at our own risk. -

The wizard smacked the apprentice. - So that sounds exactly like where a healer would hide. Did you check out the forest? -

- Yes, we have, Master. ThereÆs just a whole load of trees and a lot of monsters. -

Oh. Wait. At this point, their earlier conversation about magic suppression rang a bell.

Was that me? When I leveled up and unlocked the soul forge, I did get an ability called Low - Tier Magic Suppression .

The wizard looked at the apprentice, shaking his head. - Anyway, letÆs do more tests on the type of suppression here, whether it is tier - restricted. -

He then cast Fire . Once again, nothing happened.

Then he cast Blue Fire , and this time, a blue ball of flame appeared in his hands. - Hmm, tier - four spells are not suppressed. -

- So, does this mean we can find the healer? -

- I think we already have a good clue. Whoever is powerful enough to create a tier - three suppression aura throughout this entire city is probably the one able to heal the princess, or they would at least know the person that can heal the princess. -

Yup.

These guys were looking for me! Ah, so this was interesting; if that was indeed the case, I thought I could use this as a bargaining chip, and so I quickly summoned Yura to explain the plan.

And the next morning, despite the snow outside, Yura and Yvon went to the guesthouse.

- Oh, Lady Yvon, what brings you here? -

- Ah, I have good news for you all. I think we have finally discovered who the healer you were looking for is. -

- Really? Have you been lying to us the past few weeks? - The apprentice wasnÆt happy.

Yvon shook her head. - I thought you were referring to a person. -

- What -

The wizard spoke over the apprentice. - Never mind that. The princess comes first. Bring us to the healer. -

- Not so fast. - Yura paused. - There are a few things the healer wants to know and wants from you before they are willing to have a look at your princessÆs condition. -

- Name them. Quickly, - the paladin and healer insisted. - The princessÆs condition worsens by the day. -

Yura handed over a list I had him write. The paladin and healer looked it over and then passed it to the wizard. - This is extortion, isnÆt it? -

Yura smiled. I could tell he was enjoying this. - ItÆs the terms the healer proposes, in exchange for his aid. You can choose not to. And he did say if he canÆt improve the princessÆs condition, he wonÆt take payment. -

- Fine. WeÆll give these things. Great powers donÆt come cheap, after all, - the wizard said. - Bring the healer here. -

- Good. But I am afraid you have to go to him. -

All the Barooshians looked at each other, but then they nodded in acceptance. It wasnÆt as if they had a choice. So, together with the princess, all of them ventured out into the snow, making the slow walk through New Freeka and into the forest.

- Where are we going? - They clearly didnÆt like walking in the snow.

- WeÆll reach there soon. Anyway, whatÆs the princess suffering from? -

- I am afraid. even I donÆt know. All we can do is keep supporting her body so she doesnÆt die. - The healer shook his head. - ItÆs almost as if her body wants to kill itself. -

Soon, they arrived at my main tree, where the beetles and spiders were sleeping, dormant.

- Eh. -

- Wait. - The wizard turned to Yura . - A spirit tree? - It was as if he was struck by a realization.

- Yes. This spirit tree rules over the entire valley. -

The wizard nodded in understanding. - That explains why the compass is confused. I am guessing this massive spirit tree extends its roots everywhere. -

- Bring the princess inside, - Yura said, ignoring the question.

The healer carried the princess, and Yura then stopped the rest of them from entering. - IÆm afraid I can only allow the healer into the tree from here. The rest of you must wait outside. The treeÆs rules. -

The wizard paused and looked at the paladin, and the rest of them nodded. - Fine. I can trust a spirit tree. - And so, the frail princess was escorted into the biolab .

Once I started examining the princess using the biolab, it was immediately apparent what her problem was.

As with all living beings with mana, there was a spring in their body, and in the princessÆs case, that spring was almost entirely destroyed. That spring appeared like a regular fountain to most, but the princessÆs spring was charred and dark, and the structure around it had somehow turned into rubble. There was still some mana flowing out, but it was irregular, inconsistent, and at times even corrupted. And when the corrupted mana flowed out, it interacted with the body and created a rotting effect.

It was as if the tap that supplied water to a body was broken, and because of that, while there was water flowing out, it was polluted water, and that polluted water poisoned the body.

The body tried to fight back against that corrupted mana, and as a result, her body turned blue, kind of like a mana - gangrene.

So I looked deeper. My biolab was of a higher level now, so I got more visibility, tools, and even pop - ups to explain what I was looking at.

- She did something forbidden, or perhaps not her level to do. - Wisp somehow popped up. - All this points to an attempt to summon a higher power. -

- Oh? -

As I looked into the spring, a small indicator appeared. Outer - shell destroyed.

- Huh. Outer shell destroyed? - This seemed to mean she was like the reverse of an artificial soul, or perhaps similar to how Meela was previously. A regular soul comprised of an inner and outer layer, whereas an artificial soul was only the outer layer. So she had somehow managed to destroy her entire outer layer?

Hmm. That was really strange, and I asked Yura to ask the men what the princess had done.

- The Spirit Tree wants to know what the princess did. She has somehow destroyed a large part of her soul. -

The wizard and healer seemed really shocked, and they turned to each other. The healer started first. - The princess was last spotted in the wizardÆs tower. What was she doing? -

The wizard stared back. - I. I donÆt know. She was going through the ancient tomes and then. -

At the same time, as I kept looking into the princessÆs body, I discovered another thing. Exposed to Void mana.

- What the hell is void mana? -

- Oh, I can answer that one. ItÆs raw mana form. Primordial mana, so to speak. ItÆs the most powerful of mana types, but. it is also the most dangerous. The normal body of a mortal is not fit to handle void mana. Even heroes can only handle it in small degrees. ThatÆs why they only get the second - tier form - star mana. If one distills and processes star mana further, one would then get the normal kinds of mana. -

Heh, this sounded like the big bang, then the formation of stars, and then the heavier elements? If mana was an element that existed in the birth of the universe, it was akin to primordial quarks, and then they would form protons, neutrons, and electrons, and those would then fuse into regular atoms.

- This surely begs the question, why would this princess somehow be exposed to void mana? -

- Ask them what was in the tome that the princess was studying, - I mentally spoke to Yura .

The wizard paused. - I think she was looking into a tome on. -

He stopped.

- I donÆt think itÆs relevant. Can the tree heal her or not? -

The healer and paladin turned to face the wizard. - I think it is relevant. What was the princess actually trying to do? -

- She might have been looking at a tome about otherworld heroes. and theories on how to summon them. It was one of the crazy tomes left by the Mad - Hero, Arsene Emir. -

The paladin then grabbed the wizardÆs hand. - What? Why was the princess allowed to be anywhere near a tome by the mad hero? -

- I was doing research on it, and I didnÆt realize the princess had snuck in. -

- Excuses! So all this was your fault, Wizard! - The paladin was mad.

I let the Barooshians continue their argument as I turned my attention into figuring out what I could do about this princessÆs damaged soul.

The Soul Forge would be able to fix most of the destroyed outer layer, but the exposure to void mana was going to be harder to remove. In a way, it was like MeelaÆs demon poison , but only from another source, a rawer source.

It took about another hour, but I had looked at all I could, so Yura and the healer helped to carry the princess to the forge tree. She rested on a platform inside the forge tree, and once ready, both Yura and the healer had to go back outside.

As I attempted to repair her damaged soul, I got a prompt that some personal items belonging to the princess needed to be sacrificed.

- Does the princess have any. items or personal belongings that she cherishes? -

The paladin took out a small hairpin and passed it to Yura . Yura then threw it into the forge tree.

Not enough.

- Another one. -

The paladin checked his backpack, and the healer checked a bag that contained the princessÆs, pulling out a small comb. - Her mother, the queen, gave her the comb. -

And into the forge tree it went.

The logic of it was essentially, to repair a soul, especially one still in a bodily form, one would need to harvest remnants of the personÆs soul that were sometimes residing in their cherished items to then use them to patch the soul. It was like soul - organ - transplant surgery but with personal belongings, unlike MeelaÆs case, who wasnÆt constrained by a body any longer.

So the quality and relationship one had with the item determined the value for the repair. And the comb qualified. In fact, the comb itself was sufficient, so the hairpin flew back out.

- The comb itself will do. -

After it was melted by the Soul Forge , it then fused into the princessÆs body. And while a snowstorm blew outside, in the immediate vicinity of the forge tree , multiple lightning bolts rained down on the forge tree itself, each creating a connection of lightning to a branch.

- This is rather scary, - one of the men commented outside.

- IÆve never seen anything like it. - The men, waiting in the snow, were watching lightning strike the forge tree multiple times whilst their princess was inside.

About an hour later, Yura and the healer went back inside the forge tree to retrieve the princess, putting her back into the biolab for monitoring.

Under the biolab , the spring itself had been repaired. But an indicator still existed on top, still saying exposed to void mana . I was unable to remove this status as I didnÆt have enough power to do so. It seemed that I needed access to a few more Soul Forge color types before I could.

At least I actually got to see an explanation of what it did.

Exposed to void mana - will have occasional nightmares of otherworldly horrors. Overuse of mana will result in fainting. Cannot use mana potions as will result in a void - mana flaring and will cause hallucinations and seizures.

And indeed, it seemed this was as far as I could go, so the princess came out of the biolab and back to the worried Barooshians.

- The spirit tree says this is all it can do. The princessÆs body should not be killing itself anymore, but she will still have nightmares, and donÆt give her mana potions. Overuse of mana also will cause fainting. -

The princessÆs hands and legs, once blue, now gradually regained some color, and she no longer felt an intense weakness and pain through her body, so much so that she was actually able to talk.

- Food, - was the first word she said.

The healer and paladin quickly took out some kind of bread from their pouches for her to eat. They seemed happy because she was visibly recovering, and so, rather than eat in the snowstorm, they walked back to the guesthouse to rest.

- What did you do back in the tower? -

- I - I tried to summon a hero. - It seemed the princess had not been able to hold a proper conversation or even explain what happened because of the intense pain she was in.

- WHY? -

- I - I. I wanted a hero to be my husband - rather than that stupid old duke. -

Ah, at this point, I stopped eavesdropping.

Their conversation went on about Barooshian court politics, international relations, political marriages, and power balance stuff - which frankly wasnÆt my cup of tea at all.

Later on, they all used some kind of portal magic to return to Baroosh. They said they would find some way to deliver the promised goods.

You leveled up! Level 124!

Subsidiary tree limit increased to 700.

Biolab leveled up. External Biolab unlocked. Customizable Branches can now create biolabs!

Winter resistance upgraded.

You learned a new skill: Winter - adapted crops.

Ah, so I gained crops that could grow in this stupid snowstorm.

YEAR 75, MONTH 11, WEEK 4

Despite this horrible cold weather, the traders delivered the blood crystals. And once they did, I quickly got to it. Ah, thanks to the new ley line and soul - forge color, I also discovered there was a new upgrade choice for Trevor as well.

Trevor, Forest Mind Level 20

Upgrade choices:

Blue - Root - Brain Complex. Requires special minerals to grow. Special minerals required are 10 x Blood Crystals and 50 x fresh animal heads.

Black - Skull Shell - Requires special minerals to upgrade. 10 x Bone of a wyvern, 1 x heart of a lion, and 50 x Bones of a lizard.

Huh. Oh well, letÆs go with the immediate upgrade. The blood crystals and the heads of the animals were put together in a pile, and then I triggered this upgrade. A few dozen roots appeared and drilled into each of the heads and then the blood crystals, creating a rather messy haze of blood in the area. They twisted, they turned, they tangled, and sparks flew. It was a bit like watching a dozen snakes mate, with added fireworks.

And when it was done, a brain - like jumble of roots was formed. It was really just roots folded and twisted many, many times over until it resembled a brain.

TrevorÆs level limit has been increased to 30.

Trevor has gained a unique passive ability - HiveÆs Guardian.

HiveÆs guardian - gains limited control over the lower - tier monsters and beasts that spawn in the valley. DoesnÆt override their natural instincts.

Ah, fairly useful then. But then, as I turned back to my usual view of the valley, I noticed some changes. The interface was now more. game - like? The mini map extended farther, and there were more layers to the views available. The granularity of the view was also much better, and I could see more colors.

- If you desire, Master, I can customize the views for your viewing pleasure. Each of the trees in the valley sends back a ton of data through their roots, and itÆs a matter of processing them into usable information. With this upgrade, my processing capacity has increased! I will be able to provide better alerts and better forecasting ability! -

Sadly, the affected area was centered around that new Root - Brain complex , so the farther I went, the less data available. But it was still sufficient to cover the entirety of the valley. When I went as far as the ThreeTrees of Mana, the data available in that region was close to none and still lacking in terms of defenders.

Therefore, it was time to create my second forest mind, one for the ThreeTrees of ManaÆs area, which I would call the Southwest Forest.

In order to house your new forest mind, three subsidiary trees will be merged.

New Forest mind has been created. Do you want to name it?

- Dimitree. -

- Greetings, Master, - Dimitree responded, with an accent. Was that intentional? Well, if it was, please continue. Russian/Ukrainian voice presets, please.

- YouÆre tasked with defending my connection to the ley line and the vicinity of the Southwest Forest. Ask for help if you foresee difficulties. -

- Acknowledged. -

Afterward, I set up a few dozen subsidiary trees in the area, all with war beetles, and I placed them under DimitreeÆs command. Still, because of the freaking unnatural cold, there was practically no army movement in the region. Instead, this harsh winter brought a lot of death. Even in New Freeka where there was housing, it was insufficient protection, and the Treefolk had to construct additional barriers, actually starting fires indoors to keep themselves comfortable.

So cold. I feel like my branches are getting frostbite.

- ItÆs just your imagination, Master. -

YEAR 75, MONTH 12

The cold just got. colder. Some parts of the terrain turned almost ice - like as if it was an eternal winter. If such a spell was possible, and I thought it was, this felt very much like it.

I supposed this was how Arendelle felt when Elsa did her winter thing. I thought on how Elsa would be a rather fascinating reincarnating hero.

Nothing much happened this month because everyone was just really trying to wait out the cold. The effect of the spell, added to the natural turn of the seasons, made this so crazy cold, the elves all ended up hiding in the secret hideout, where it was warm and temperature - controlled.

The New Freekans attempted to build underground structures at this time as a way to get a bit more comfort out of this ridiculous weather.

YEAR 76, MONTH 1

I thought last month was cold. This month, it somehow proved me wrong as it got even colder. There were days where all that happened was ice flew through the air as any water froze instantly.

It even caused my tree barks, that were normally winter resistant, to feel brittle and flaky.

Since last month, Trevor, Dimitree, and I had used our abilities to support the rest of the normal trees, so that the cold didnÆt kill off the trees in the forest. They were already in some kind of winter - hibernation mode, but this excessive cold would normally kill them. Even in this magical world, death by cold was still possible.

It would be bad if I lost my normal trees, so this was when that energy was consumed from tuberous storage to create a warm flow of nutrients and energy supplied to the normal trees, preventing freezing and keeping them alive.

This little episode with high - tier magic also reminded me of my vulnerability to such powerful magics. If somebody was to cast a meteor or magic of that caliber, what countermeasures did I have? If I was a tree stuck in the blast radius of the Tsar Bomba, what could I do?

Winter resistance upgraded.

Winter - resistance aura obtained. All trees connected via rootnet are more resistant to the effects of cold and ice. Beetles and webspiders also gain some winter resistance.

Warm Winter Fruit obtained. A fruit that helps to keep the body warm.

Uhh, that helped a bit, I supposed. With the winter, but not the Tsar Bomba. Or wait. Was the system saying this was the magical equivalent of a nuclear winter?

- This winter is unbearable. We need to do something. - The villagers were now trying to get Yvon to do something about the winter, but what could she do?

Good news was there was absolutely no fighting in this sort of weather. The bad news was people were still dying - bad for them, not me. So my soul realm was packed with souls due for their reincarnation within the next six months, from the returned soul harvesters and, just generally, from all the death in the vicinity.

And from the fragments of the souls harvested, I obtained my fair share of interesting essences, also my first Experience Seed , a product of the Soul Harvester ability. The experience seed was used to create a Level Fruit , each seed, to create one fruit. The effect was to increase oneÆs level by one, up to the level cap of said person.

Yes. A fruit equivalent of rare candy.

BUT! The creator of said level fruit (me) couldnÆt use it. Again, it was similar to that soul contract where I took a personÆs level away or where they surrendered their experience to me. It would get converted into transferable experience , which could then be processed into Experience Seeds and Skill Seeds . In fact, even Skill Essences could be further processed into Skill Seeds .

A single level wasnÆt much, for those in the lower levels. But I would imagine such an item being more useful and valuable to those at high levels since it was harder for them to level.

YEAR 76. MONTH 2. WEEK 1

The cold was letting up. By a tiny bit.

It was still snowing every day, with some days having ice storms. Not fun. Again, I was burning through my tuberous storage , trying to feed and support the forest so that it didnÆt freeze to death.

I had actually become a little positive out of this. I mean, at least it was just ice, right? I could still keep the trees alive by giving them warm energy by consuming the stored energy. It was kind of like winter and summer. You could constantly add layers of clothing to keep yourself warm, but it was kinda hard to strip down to cool yourself off when the air itself was cooking you.

If, say, the entire air was cursed under a massive heatwave, I would need to find ways to cool down the forest, and I thought the only way I knew at the moment was to pull up cool water from deep beneath the ground. And there wasnÆt much of that. There was a fair bit of thermal energy coming from deep beneath as well.