I didn’t at all believe my own words, but I did intend on at least trying to see what was wrong with their tree. Luckily, this was enough to convince the two muscle-brained monkeys.

“Yes! We will eat good!” Six-Tails exclaimed, a ravenous glint in his eyes as he remembered the heavenly taste from just a minute ago.

“Bananas for me too!” Four-Tails added.

I merely nodded my head, trying to hide a smirk, these monkeys really were easy to fool.

Six-Tails then turned to Four-Tails, “Now, you go get little tails to get my loot.” he commanded, likely realizing that he would need some man-power to take all of this back—now that he had given up his bracelet.

Four-Tails promptly left the chamber with a jog, heading out to presumably look for more monkeys. I took this time to take count of all of the valuables I had just acquired.

It took some time, but I eventually counted everything up. Within the bracelet’s dimension there were twelve swords, another score of various weapons, fifteen artifacts of unknown effects, and half a dozen items that stood out from the intense celestial energy they emanated.

Of this last category there were two swords, that magical staff, the strange book and mirror, and the wooden stick Six-Tails previously used. These items all released celestial energy that clearly designated them as more valuable than the rest. I had no idea how much these items would sell for, or even much of an idea of what currencies existed in this world. If I was to get them appraised in the future, I would need to be prudent to not get taken advantage of in negotiations.

There were also a great number of random items in the storage dimension as well—items with no apparent value. I found literal rocks, random pieces of clothing, and even piles of mud. As soon as I found them I cursed the slow-witted monkey and promptly threw these items onto the chamber floor.

Half an hour later Four-Tails had re-appeared, and in his trail were dozens of white-furred monkeys. These monkeys promptly began to grab the remaining treasures in the chamber under Six-Tails’ watchful gaze. They looked like ants carrying food back to their nest. Except instead of carrying crumbs on their heads—they carried chests of gold and bundles of shining valuables.

I left the chamber to be ransacked as I floated high into the sky, coming to a rest above the pyramid.

A long line of white figures could be seen below me as the trail of monkeys headed to and from the chamber, but I put them out of my mind as I looked towards the towering tree that stood out in the distance.

The tree these monkeys worshipped stood as a monument against the horizon. Its resplendent blue leaves were shining brightly against the purple backdrop of the sky, and I began to wonder what secrets the tree held for me to uncover.

Truthfully, I didn’t know if it was worth it to waste any more of my time here. I had already gotten enough from these monkeys that I could fly away now and still be set for the rest of my life.

I’d have to be cautious though—I couldn’t immediately dump all of my valuables in one place. It was just like back on Earth, I would have to launder my money like criminals did. Although I had no experience in something as dubious as that, I had seen enough stories on the news to know the gist of it.

My best bet would be to find different businesses to invest in under anonymity. I could also start a company myself at some point, once I better understood this world. Regardless, my next steps were still to head towards the Kingdom of Caudis.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

This so-called kingdom of beasts likely held information on how I could get back to my mother. If I could find information on elven settlements and cities, or even just maps from the current century, I would be in a much better position.

I looked down towards the conga-line of monkeys still clearing out the pyramid of its valuables.

‘What should I do with these monkeys?’ I pondered, looking towards the Great Tree out in the distance, ‘If I can figure out what’s wrong with that tree, I can probably turn all of these monkeys into my loyal subjects. I just don’t know where to start.’

As I stared off at the massive tree in the distance, I could feel my eyelids growing heavy. I was also starting to feel hunger for the first time in a year. This was to be expected though, in the past two days I haven’t eaten anything, and had barely rested.

I drifted down towards the top of the pyramid—my pyramid now actually. I had claimed this ancient monolith for myself, and to my surprise the monkey’s didn’t object to it.

Deactivating my aether, I came to a rest on top of the pyramid. The cold, moss-covered stones weren’t even slightly comfortable, but as soon as I touched them, I could feel waves of exhaustion hit me like a freight train. Yawning, I closed my eyes, resolving to iron out my future steps after I had rested.

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When I had next awoken, I opened my eyes to see that the sun was already setting below the violet horizon.

I stretched out my little limbs with a yawn, feeling a terrible ache in my back from sleeping on such a hard surface. The hunger I felt earlier had also returned with a vengeance, and it was now gnawing at my stomach, demanding me to fill it.

Surrounding my body in aether, I lifted myself back into the air. When I looked down, I saw that the long line of monkeys had become a small trickle of white figures. They had presumably almost finished looting the chamber.

My most immediate concern though was finding something to eat, so I put the monkeys out of my mind as I soared away from the pyramid. I headed off towards the treeline, flying above the vast pavilion as I made my way towards the forest. Many of the surrounding trees had been turned into charred husks from our earlier battle, and I doubted I would find anything edible in the near vicinity.

With this in mind, I soared towards the tree tops. I was now heading directly towards the giant tree in the distance, intending on killing two birds with one stone. I would look for food while simultaneously investigating the mystery surrounding this magical tree. This so-called great tree was around a mile away from my position, and its illustrious blue leaves stood out like a beacon against the setting sun.

I was now flying through the air at a brisk speed, so it only took me around five minutes to reach the base of the tree. Once the towering tree was in front of me, I was able to make out a number of figures dashing across its spiralling branches.

Looking closer, it became clear that these were monkeys, and it seemed like they were fighting. I saw a small gang of white monkeys harassing several black-furred monkeys, chasing them across the wide branches of the tree as they howled wildly. A lone night monkey had fallen behind his pack, and he was immediately swarmed by three white monkeys and torn to shreds. He screamed in pain as his limbs were torn from his body, blood gushing from his wounds in torrents as the white monkeys dug into his flesh with sharp teeth.

I winced as I watched the grisly sight unfold, but I didn’t intend on getting involved. Lowering my elevation, I drifted down to the forest floor, scanning the area for potential prey of my own.

The colossal roots of the tree formed a network of gargantuan proportions, with each individual root rivaling the size of a bus. The roots pulsed and thrummed with a blue glow, clearly filled to the brim with celestial energy. These behemoths extended outward from the base of the tree, their labyrinthine tendrils reaching deep into the surrounding forest. It was obvious that no other trees could flourish in the shadow of this monumental giant, for its massive roots claimed dominion over the soil in every direction for a hundred meters.

Sprouting from these roots and encircling the tree were an assortment of otherworldly flora, each plant bathed in an ethereal blue light. The celestial energy suffusing this area near the tree seemed to create a vibrant oasis, drawing in a myriad of creatures and imbuing them with its enigmatic power.

This radiant, life-giving energy had evidently transformed the locale into a thriving hotspot for wildlife, and I intended to use this to find my next meal.