Late Evening - Mid Summer : Central Leyfa Askr (Nearing the Captial)
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"Geez, how long has Earth had treants?" -There are so many...- Running across the canopy of a forest nearly three hundred meters off the ground, I looked around at the endless sea of treants unsure whether to question what I was seeing or to simply enjoy the view.
"Hm?" Dragging herself out of thought, Eve gave me an odd look before quickly elaborating. "Oh, we've found ways to artificially create them about thirty years ago, so, outside of the handful that have grown in the capital, they're all quite young."
-Huh?- "Wait. 'Artificially create treants'?" -That's possible?-
Slowly easing her nerves as she nodded, her stiff, stressed tone slowly started to ease. "It's pretty easy, you just force a 'living core' into one of a few types of trees, and if you're lucky, the core will possess the tree and become a treant... Although.. it's not exactly that simple."
-What the hell?- Seeing how casually she spoke, I couldn't help but let bewilderment wash across my face. "And by 'living core' you mean dungeon core?" Essentially it was a mana core that had some level of intelligence, akin to a monster, giving it the ability to manipulate whatever its environment was as if it were its own body, be it the rock of a cave or the wood of a tree.
"Yeah, dungeon cores definitely have the highest success rate, but living cores aren't limited to just dungeons." Looking at the horizon, her face stiffened with seriousness. "In any case, we should be getting close. Do you remember many of Mother's rules around The Oak?"
Gently shaking my head, she was quick to continue.
"Alright then, for starters, the capital of Leyfa Askr is Moriai, the paradise of elves and birthplace of spirits on Earth."
-Wait a minute... Birthplace of spirits?- My eyes instantly lit up as an old memory surfaced. "Does that mean you have a World Tree here?" They were a type of treant that would grow so large it stretched out of the atmosphere, using its leaves to guide huge volumes of interplanetary mana to the planet's surface.
It was essentially an oversized mana generator.
But Eve seemed to only think of it as a symbol of prosperity, continuing after a prideful nod. "Mother gave me a seed of The Oak before I became a system mercenary so that while I was traveling through worlds with the help of the system, I could look for a suitable place to plant it, and eventually, I made it here." Fondly looking up into the dark night sky, she seemed to almost get lost in old memories. "Here, we call it the Olive..."
But that was only because she wasn't looking at me. -WHAT?!- I honestly couldn't even believe my own ears. -Michael was worried about my presence even though he has a WORLD TREE GROWING HERE?!-
The thing was, while high mana level areas were typically sought after as it could advance people's levels with just guided meditation, something called cultivation, on a large scale, rising mana levels would lead to the system advancing the levels of monsters scattered around the rest of the world and possibly even lead to seemingly unexpected rank ups.
This was something that almost always lead to the destruction of all but the society based around the World Tree, with Eve's homeworld being one of a handful of exceptions.
-And yet Michael was worried about me?!- I almost couldn't believe it. Considering he was an administrator, there was no way he didn't know what a world tree was. "Uh, Eve. If I may ask, how tall is the Olive..?"
Snapping out of her thoughts for a moment, she gave the horizon an odd look before her expression washed with pride. "Well, why don't you look for yourself!"
-Hm?- Finally looking ahead, I lost my tongue, watching as a tree nearly eight kilometers tall endlessly climbed over the horizon. -Well.. I guess it's still young, after all...- Compared to the Oak, it was nothing more than a sapling. -But give it a few more years and it'll be a bigger problem than I am...-
Eventually reaching the end of the treants, we came to a stop and were presented with a breathtaking view of the colossal lake that surrounded the Olive, reflecting the night sky so perfectly you couldn't tell where the horizon was, and with water so clear that the fish appeared to swim amongst the stars.
It made for a view more beautiful than almost anything I had ever seen, to the extent that I was honestly taken aback.
"Wow..." -To think a place like this exists on Earth...- As my gaze drifted over the water, tracing the countless glowing lines where the water was illuminated by mana oozing from the tree's roots, I couldn't help but be reminded of some of the worlds I had seen in the past.
But, even those old vistas lacked what this one had.
Life.
Anywhere the forest bordered the water, the glow of torches and lanterns filled the canopy, and on the balconies of buildings built around the branches of the treants were people, some rushing around in a panic while others simply enjoying the view, just as I was.
But while I could have easily spent the night simply enjoying the view, fate had other plans.
Gently raising her hand, Eve used light magic to flash a signal across the lake before promptly receiving a sequence of flashes in response.
-To think they still use that kind of signaling even with the technology they have...-
"Alright," Turning back to me after sending signals back and forth with someone quite a distance away, she spoke through a mask of stress. "Auntie, I need to go meet with some people to discuss how we are going to handle the rank-up. If you would like to come, please do.. I wouldn't mind you pitching in your two cents, but if not, I can bring you to the palace, or if you'd like, you can roam around and check out the city, just don't go to the ground, or touch the water."
"I may as well come along." -It can't hurt to try and make some connections...- "But," As we got moving, I spoke up. "Why is it you can't go to the ground or water? Is there a poison or something?"
Shaking her head as she enthusiastically led the way, she motioned down toward the water. "The rule with the water only pertains to the lake since it is sacred. We believe this lake is where the souls of the dead are guided for reincarnation." She held her head high as she spoke. "As for the ground, it's because it's dangerous. If outsiders went down without knowing what to do it can cause some major problems for the citizens."
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
"Is that so?" Using my aura to search for the presences of monsters beneath the canopy, it only took a moment to find several of them scattered about.
But none of them were particularly strong. -Why are they so wary of the ground then?-
"We elves worship nature," Likely knowing what I was thinking, Eve was quick to elaborate. "If an outsider were to venture down and get into a fight with the monsters, assuming they survive the first ambush, it could not just physically damage the environment but completely destroy the balance of the ecosystem."
Pausing and looking down under the canopy as we hopped over a small cove, we spotted a reasonably large deer-like monster drinking from the lake.
"Of course, we still hunt and kill many monsters, but they are typically limited to those who excessively disturb the ecosystem."
-I see...- She was essentially saying that, as long as a monster could blend in with the ecosystem, they were left to roam free. "So what do you do during something like a dungeon break?"
"We pick out the monsters that could pose problems, kill them, and let the rest find their place in the forest." Looking up at the sky, she let out a sigh. "Haah... I'm just hoping we can get away with that during the rank-up..."
-That would be nice, huh...- Considering the elven cities were all suspended off the ground, it significantly limited what monsters actually posed a threat to the population. -The native monsters will want to defend their territories as well, so they can essentially work as your soldiers.-
Compared to a traditional city like Arlington that needed walls, it made for a far safer city when it came to defending from other monsters. -The issue is the level of the monsters...- Compared to the level of what the system would be dropping on Earth during the rank-up, they would almost certainly be decimated.
But Eve already knew that, so, to get ahead of the curve, she set up a meeting with the executives of several countries, namely The United States, Russia, Greenland, and a tribe of demihumans to the north called The Frostwalkers.
The issue was, while I knew that Russia and the United States were Earth's strongest nations, the one Eve chose to warn me about wasn't them.
"The representative of the Frostwalkers is a snow fox demihuman," As we slowed down and started descending through the canopy of a treant, she spoke coldly. "Be careful around him..."
-For her to say that...- Looking at her back as we hopped down the tree branches and eventually landed in the grassy courtyard of a massive stone building, my curiosity grew. -He can't be that strong, so why is she warning me?-
But that question was answered the moment we entered the massive, lavish lobby of the building, and I set my eyes on him. "Hoh?" Watching his ears snap to me, his whole body tense, and his slitted reptilian pupils thin, I couldn't help but smile. -So he has dragon blood.-
System Name: 3-Tailed Fox
Name: Melrakki Ormr
Status: Vigilant
Race: Snow Fox/Human/Dragon (52/40/8)
Age: 119 years
[Titles]
[Inheritances]
Level 685 Class Brawler Gold 63,336,573 Sponsors
WARNING: Viewing without Entity's consent will trigger Local System's Security Measures
He was on the shorter side, but considerably well built with bright white fur, three fluffy white tails, and deep blue draconic pupils.
To most people on Earth, he was probably quite intimidating. -He probably has a bunch of dragon-specific skills as well.- But his strength wasn't why Eve warned me. "Oi," Turning my tone cold as I looked him in the eyes, I dulled my expression. "Don't be stupid."
*Vwoom* Gathering my aura around him as a warning, he jolted before uncrossing his arms, showing me his palms, and turning his head to the side to expose his neck.
But it only left a bitter taste in my mouth.
That man wasn't a human, but a monster, not metaphorically, but literally. Being a demihuman with more monster blood than human, it was easy to assume he was extremely instinctual, impulsive, and unpredictable. -That probably makes him a wonderful leader up in the Arctic where split-second decisions are necessary to stay alive, but a risky ally...- Because the moment they no longer need you and you do something to get in their way, even indirectly, they will turn you into an enemy.
However, if he was suppressed by raw strength, there was a chance that risk would disappear.
Looking over at Eve, I honestly couldn't tell if she had planned for me to come along to tame his instinctual tendencies toward her by showing she had someone backing her who was far stronger than he was, or if she was just hoping that, with a disaster acting as a common enemy, they could form a temporary alliance.
But while that was my assumption, and I wasn't exactly incorrect, the real reason Eve warned me was something else entirely.
*Vwoom* Feeling an aura slam into the edge of mine, I stopped in my tracks and looked toward it, through the wall of the building we were in. -What is a monster doing here...-
It was strong, considerably stronger than even Eve, who was the strongest humanoid I had met on Earth by a margin, to the point that when it got close enough to probe us with its aura, Eve tensed and clammed up.
And contrarily, the fox man's eyes lit up like a child.
"Auntie..." Using wind magic, Eve was quick to whisper to me through magic. "That monster probing us with its aura is the leader of the Frostwalkers..."
-Is that so...- Watching the detailed form of the huge three-tailed fox appear in my mind as it descended through the canopy, I watched as it landed in the courtyard before suddenly freezing and locking its gaze on me, through the wall.
It clearly felt threatened, but even as it raised its tails in vigilance, the curiosity in my gaze never faded. -Earth really is full of surprises...-
It was a monster in control of its instincts; a monster with reason.
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