TREE OF AEONS 1

- Even the councilors want to believe it, and they want to believe that Tree - Tree will protect them. It seems it was my mistake, for being vague and unclear about the real relationship between New Freeka and Tree - Tree. -

- So? -

- I. erm. Can Tree - Tree officially be our guardian and protector? -

- Shameless! - Horns commentated. - Freeloaders! These beggars want to demand our masterÆs protection? -

Oh, shush now. IÆll think about it.

- What do I get in exchange? - I spoke into both their minds, and Yvon paused.

- Uh. our loyalty? -

- Rejected. I care not for that, and you have no way of ensuring loyalty. I demand servitude. I have need of minions to carry out my demands. -

- Uh. -

- Make Yura and the elves royalty of New Freeka. Yura and Laufen will be my two spokespersons, and they will play the role of the new joint rulers of New Freeka, and the rest of you can be advisors. From henceforth, the ones who rule will be Yura and Laufen. All citizens of New Freeka are to acknowledge their position as your new joint monarchs. They will be the voice of my will, my elven avatars. -

Yura seemed surprised by that. - Tree - Tree, that. - He clearly didnÆt expect that, but seriously, I had been wanting to give Yura direct ruling powers for some time. The arguments and issues we had with New Freeka over the past few years, especially the last few months, really solidified that view, that Yura deserved a seat at the council, such that my demands were heard and known, and my needs were respected and complied by these people. Unlike the treefolk, who seem perfectly content living in their small villages, or the centaurs who are similarly happy to have their hillside slopes, these New Freekans had been creating problems.

Yvon herself also seemed shocked, and her mouth just gasped, a little too dumbfounded to respond, and she took a few deep breaths just staring at Yura and my main tree before she finally managed to respond.

- Ah, we. we are founded to be a council, a collective rulership, such that everyone has a say. To. to return to a monarchy would be against. against our founding principles. It. The council and the people will not accept it. -

- Then be gone. New Freeka stands alone, - I responded. It wasnÆt like I really needed them. It was really more of a mutual coexistence since they had the ability to partake in trade to acquire materials that were not available locally.

- Ah. Please, wait, tree spirit. Let me have some time to discuss this with the wider council. It is such a crucial decision. I alone cannot make this decision. I will summon a meeting immediately. -

Yura , too, seemed to be taken aback. - Ah, Tree - Tree, we may need to discuss this. -

- Later. - And then I turned to Yvon. - Go, gather your council. -

And so Yvon ran back, leaving the jewels behind.

- Horns, we got the jewels already. LetÆs break your first level cap. -

- Tree - Tree, wait. About that proposal earlier, to make us the monarchy, are. are you serious? -

- Yes. - Well, not really, but if New Freeka agreed to it, I didnÆt mind at all.

- Please reconsider. - Yura shook his head. - It is a position IÆm not willing to bear, a weight I cannot carry. -

- I must have my position heard and respected in New Freeka. LetÆs see what they are willing to give. -

Yura gulped. - Surely, there is room to compromise with them, something that doesnÆt involve usurping the entire ruling council? Even I think that sounds a bit too much, although theyÆve been absolutely deadweights in the past two battles with Salah. -

- Well, I am willing to compromise, but letÆs see how sincere they are in their counter - proposal. -

Yvon quickly gathered her council for an urgent meeting.

- The tree spirit wants to make Yura and Laufen monarchs? -

Yvon gulped and nodded.

- No. Absolutely no monarchs! - Quite unanimous was the decision from the councilors. None of them wanted to have a king and queen over their head. New Freeka modeled itself after the elvish republics.

- Then we lose our protection. We were all on the walls when the battle happened. YouÆve seen the fury and damage the tree spirit can bring. -

- I still canÆt help but think this sounds a lot like a criminal gangÆs extortion, - one of them said.

- The tree spirit has no reason to help us, so quash that thought. - Yvon glared at the rest of them. - But, at the same time, I too disagree with having a king rule over our new nation. It is not something our people wanted, and I believe most of them are happy with the way things are. -

New Freeka organized itself into multiple districts, and each district elected three councilmen to the high council. So, in a way, there was a fair bit of representation by the people, which did help in making the locals feel somewhat connected to their rulers. It was a partly democratic structure, though the title of councilmen often passed from father to son, due to the familyÆs influence, even in such a young state.

- Then. -

- So what are we willing to give? - Yvon asked.

- Give? -

- Look, if we are to negotiate this with the tree spirit, we better be prepared to offer some meaningful concessions or give some rights away. Without the tree spiritÆs protection, New FreekaÆs chances of survival are rather slim. The tree spiritÆs annoyance at us was very clear in that previous meeting. I frankly donÆt want to have that annoyance turn into outright hostility. I hope everyone now understands why this meeting is so urgent. -

All the councilors glanced uncomfortably at each other.

- Unfortunately, I agree with Lady YvonÆs assessment, and so. -

- A king and queen are totally out of the picture. The people like the leadership the way it is now. Even if the tree spirit turns against us, I think none of our people would agree to have a king and queen. -

- And if we tell them this is to secure the tree spiritÆs protection. -

- No. I know our chances are slim without the tree spirit, but we are a sovereign nation. If we agree to have someone else rule over our heads, thatÆs against what we have fought for all this while. -

- Oh, cut the political bullshit. We didnÆt fight one bit, - one councilor said. - All the fighting so far has been done by the tree spiritÆs minions. -

- I meant the fighting figuratively, as in. our struggle so far. Anyway, are you on our side or the tree spiritÆs side? You really want a king to rule over us? -

- ThatÆs not what I meant. We must know exactly what we are dealing with here, and to do so, we must recognize the fact that we are very vulnerable, - the other councilor rebuked. It was a messy argument, with a lot of side conversations.

- So can we have some consensus? I believe itÆs clear we will refuse having a king. But are we willing to give Yura and Laufen a seat, and accordingly, authority? - Yvon tries to steer the conversation back to the topic. These councilmen tended to go off on a tangent sometimes.

There was an awkward look among everyone as they shrugged. It took one of the more daring councilors to finally say, - Yes, - and then all the others started agreeing.

- Fine. Now that we agree to give them a seat, what will be their authority? Remember, it must be something concrete, with actual powers, or else the tree spirit will not agree. -

- Then what are we willing to give? -

- Administrator of the valley? Forest master? -

- The tree spirit wonÆt accept that. ItÆs no fool. ItÆs already master of the valley, and it doesnÆt need us to grant it that sort of authority. It must come from something only we can give. Our men. Our money. The ability to directly intervene in our affairs. -

- Fine, letÆs go about giving Yura and Laufen combined voting rights over the military, diplomatic affairs, a share of our tax collection as tribute, and smaller voting rights on domestic, trade, and policing. -

The councilors went about debating the finer points of the proposed rights and powers of Yura and Laufen as politicians were often inclined to do.

- Okay, so. those are their rights and powers, but how do we give it to them without making the rest of the population feel that this is something arbitrary and without basis? As it was, some districts were already uneasy over their representation, and they were demanding more councilmen. -

One of the rare centaur councilors then spoke up. - I believe the treefolk worship the tree spirit, do they not? -

The councilors turned, mostly out of surprise.

- If so, we can follow how some elven kingdoms have special positions for the senior members of the church. -

- Are you suggesting elevating the tree spirit to a god? -

- In principle, yes. From the powers we have seen, he might as well be a local deity. So a spokesperson of a local deity surely can be given a formal position in the ruling council, with special rights reflecting the local deityÆs influence in the area. -

- Ah. -

- There is a precedent. The Dwarven Nation of Prummash, far to the north, gives the Great Forge SerpentÆs chosen a special position in their advisors council. -

- What matters then is how we convey this decision to the people. -

- If the tree spirit accepts it. -

- If it doesnÆt? -

- WeÆll have to figure it out. -

And with that, YvonÆs meeting was over, and Yvon returned to meet us, this time with six other councilors.

- So have you agreed? - my voice spoke into their mind.

The seven exchanged glances before Yvon took a gulp and stepped forth. - Tree spirit, we. we are truly humbled that youÆve assisted us during the defense of New Freeka, and our words cannot describe the gratitude we have for sparing us from the bloodshed of battle. -

- Ah, the freeloader has finally learned gratitude, eh? - Horns seemed to be happy.

- Spare me the flowery words. I take it youÆve decided not to accept my proposal. - IÆd been in enough meetings to know that what started flowery often ended in a refusal.

They paused. I wondered how I sounded in their minds sometimes.

- Ah, we. we have a counterproposal. Something that would be more aligned to our own founding ideals. We would propose to create a special religious role for both Yura and Laufen, whereby the tree spirit is elevated to that of a local deity. -

Yura paused. He seemed to be thinking.

- In this way, Yura and Laufen gain a position as the Voice of the Tree Spirit, which will give them similar rights and authority to that of a religious leader. As the voice, they will have significant authority in areas of the military, diplomacy, and external trade. We also commit that our military will be split into a few divisions, with one third of it under the command and rule of the Voice. They will enforce the demands of the tree spirit, within the framework of authority that the Voice has. -

Hmm, a third of New FreekaÆs forces.

- They will be given a special name of your choosing, such to differentiate them from the regular military. -

There was a silence, perhaps for a few seconds, before Yvon continued.

- We will formally set up a new institution under the Voice, and we will contribute a sizeable portion of our tax collection to this institution, which will also fund the force. -

Oh, and tax revenues, too. - A third. Of all tax revenues and collections, - I spoke into their minds, and they froze. The seven councilors exchanged glances, and then they nodded.

- Yes. A third. -

- Anything else? - At this point, New Freeka was willing to offer a third of their military, and their tax money to me, so I was quite satisfied with the offer.

- Uh. - Yvon shook her head. - ThatÆs all we can give. -

Well, in terms of land, I did control the valley, and that had been my right since day one. New Freeka only controlled the un - forested areas further south, the large farmlands, and the town itself.

- Never mind. -

An awkward silence followed. Perhaps they were waiting. Even Yura looked a bit worried.

- I agree to it, in exchange for my participation in New FreekaÆs defense. - My thoughts behind this were fairly simple. I did intend to somehow rule over New Freeka eventually, but at the same time, I did realize that placing Yura as king over New Freeka was extremely sudden. Most likely, the New Freekans themselves - the now fifty thousand non - humans - were going to resist it, and I would then have a rebellion on my hands.

Not that crushing it would be an issue, but that would delay my ability to gain the necessary resources to further upgrade the rest of my artificial souls and research.

So this sort of transitory arrangement helped, and I assumed it would give Yura and Laufen the necessary experience needed to let them learn about managing a town before ultimately usurping New Freeka. It would be easier to boil the frogs of New Freeka gradually, so let them get used to having Yura as a member of their ruling class before, one day, taking them over entirely. Ruling the New Freekans by proxy wasnÆt a bad idea anyway - at least the nitty gritty of people - management was left to the appointed proxy, and the world would look at the town, not at me directly.

The tax revenue would also really help. I could buy more jewels and weird artifacts. I was eager to test out the ability I had gotten when I evolved to a Starsoul Tree .

A few days later, I checked my updates:

Beetle - basic magical lances - complete.

Eye - Tree Stage I research option unlocked - eighteen months remaining.

Enhanced exoskeletons - complete.

Enhanced interior structures - one month remaining.

Large beetle pods - three months remaining.

Beetle - anti - magma armors stage 2 - nine months remaining.

Fruit bombs - increased range and power - three months remaining.

Tree - volcanic adaptation stage 3 - eighteen months remaining.

I would need to start working on the volcano again. The enhanced exoskeletons granted the beetles stronger, faster bodies, but this was at the expense of consuming my harvested metals and some essences and also a longer regeneration time if they died. The beetle magical lances, even though I completed the research, were not immediately usable as I needed to obtain some kind of mines before they could be infused into the beetles themselves.

Ah.

So I needed a mine, preferably one that would supply me with non - ordinary resources, such that I could further upgrade the beetles. There was a natural limit on how I could keep upgrading them with ordinary items, without giving them the ability to level via an artificial soul. Also, at the rate of my mineral harvesting from the earth, I had sufficient metals to support only four thousand beetles with the enhanced exoskeleton.

- Guys, what are our priorities? - I called on my artificial souls for a meeting.

- Take over the volcano! Kill all the golems! - Horns said. He had just had his upgrade as a Baron Beetle , increasing his level cap to thirty. The upgrade granted the beetles around him extra strength, armor, and speed. Still, it wasnÆt sufficient to take on the golems. They were just far too large and tough.

- And? -

- Locate additional minerals, resources, and ley lines. - It was TrevorÆs turn. - WeÆre actively sending some beetles to scout on the far away locations. -

- Upgrade? Spiders, fruits, healing. All require upgrades. -

Thanks for the reminder, Dimitree. We do need anti - air. That reminds me, where the hell did I leave that airship from Salah?

- Were you not working on it the last time, then you broke it apart and dumped it in your treasury? I think you got stuck when the biolab couldnÆt look into the materials or decipher the runes. - That was Trevor, digging through my memories faster than I could remember it myself.

- Really? - Was it that long ago? I tried to dig through my own mind. Oh, God, itÆd already been three years. I thought I was also getting more forgetful.

- Trevor, can you do me a favor and help me track all my outstanding tasks? -

- Certainly. IÆll create a task manager in your interface. -

- And a calendar. -

- Will do. -

- Then mark when the date of the ten - year anniversary of the demon kingÆs death is due. I want a countdown timer in my interface. I fear I may forget as I move onto all these lesser missions. -

SIDE STORIES - ALEXIS AND MEELA

SOMETIME AROUND YEAR 77, MONTH 9.

- Looking at the skies again? - MeelaÆs soul popped up in AlexisÆs mind. It seemed there was a kind of shared network that existed for all the souls and artificial souls under Tree - TreeÆs care. Perhaps it was the rootnetÆs ability.

- I always do. - Alexis sat on the branch of her biolab. From the outside it looked like a very large tree, but inside it was filled with all sorts of unusual equipment. - I really like the sky. ItÆs orangey today. -

- I can somewhat imagine it. IsnÆt it nice, not having to run here and there, fighting all the time, just to gain levels? -

- ItÆs not a bad change in pace. - But her face was a bit sulky.

- But itÆs not enough for you, is it? -

Alexis looked up, noticing a small orange cloud floating overhead. - Yeah. -

- Why? -

Alexis shook her spiritual legs. For those not attuned to magic, she would appear as a wisp, a faint blob of blue light on top of a branch. For those with the right affinity to spiritual magic, she appeared as a young girl, but ethereal, that was bonded and lived in the biolab. She was, in a way, the biolab, and this ethereal body was just a form, a projection from that biolab.

- I always thought weÆd survive. Like heroes in all those stories. A happy ending for all of us. -

- Eh? You were the one doing the most research and saying weÆd all most likely die. The rest of us were just winging it. -

- I mean, I had the data staring at me, telling me otherwise, but a part of me still, truly, believed in that fantasy, that all things would end well. -

- YouÆre just like all of us after all. - Perhaps thereÆs a smile somewhere in there.

- Yeah. -

Alexis looked up again. The sun was gradually setting, and there were just a few clouds now. One of the moons was already visible. Its glow was faint, but as the sky darkened, it would get clearer and clearer.

- I - I thought of what IÆd do after the war. After the demon king. -

- Oh? -

- IÆd go on a holiday. A world tour, properly, this time. Not our rushed city - to - city killing big monsters kind of tour. Take the time to hike the highest mountains and see the uncharted lands. Explore the world. -

- That sounds like being an adventurer. -

Alexis paused and blushed. - Ah. yeah. I guess it does. But here I am, stuck here serving the tree spirit as a research assistant. -

- Hey, thatÆs what all of us end up doing, if weÆre still at home. Working in dead - end jobs. -

They both laughed. - Well, thatÆs a good point. This is a dead - end job, isnÆt it? -

- One that you have to work for a thousand years. -

- Man, thatÆs depressing to think about. And look at me, IÆm this. tree. -

- You should ask for a holiday. Ask for normal employment terms - leave days and sick leave. -

- Uh. I highly doubt soul contracts have allowances for leave days and sick leaves. - Alexis laughed.

- Eh, I think everything can be negotiated. Perhaps some kind of arrangement can be made. Look at Yvon, sheÆs still out and about even though thereÆs a soul contract attached to her. -

- ThatÆs cause sheÆs not dead yet! -

- Ahh. - Meela was probably making an embarrassed face. She didnÆt comprehend soul magic all that well.

- Anyway. IÆm stuck here. And Tree - Tree doesnÆt trust me. -

- Of course he doesnÆt. You tried to take over his body. Now that I think of it, heÆs being generous to give you this dead - end job youÆre complaining about. -

- ItÆs my survival instincts! -

- Yeah, yeah. -

An awkward silence followed for a moment.

- We probably should talk about something less. touchy. -

- Yeah. -

- What were you thinking of doing after the war, Meela? -

- Me? I didnÆt think about it much, but I thought IÆd be a princess. Have high tea in some fancy palace, eat dessert, walk in pretty gardens and stuff. -

- DoesnÆt that mean you have to marry some prince? -

- Uh, I suppose so. IÆll have first choice, wonÆt I? IÆm a hero, after all. -

- And doesnÆt that mean you have to. you know. sleep with them? -

Meela paused. - I didnÆt think of that. IÆd pick a handsome one with no body odor, then. But yeah, IÆd like to be a princess. This is another world and being a princess like those fairytales would be something IÆd like to do. -

- But itÆll be you thatÆs rescuing the prince because youÆre the hero, and heÆs not. HeÆll be the dude in distress! -

- WhatÆs wrong with that? -

- Uh, nothing, but itÆs strange, I guess. -

- YouÆre kooky, Alexis. -

- Uh. You too, Meela. -

- You know, I still really like one of the princessÆs gowns. ItÆs so pretty. Remember Princess Alainas of the Faroah Isles? I really liked her sea - shell dress during the reception they threw for us. It really captured the essence of a mermaid. -

- All I remember is her trying to hit on Max so hard. She was really trying to give herself to him. -

- Oh, I remember that. What, were you jealous? Wait. You liked Max? -

- No, I didnÆt! But I just remembered how ridiculous the princess was. - Alexis shook her head. - All the touching and flirting. it was just so horrifying to watch. It was like a train crash happening in slow motion. -

- But sheÆs really pretty. And if Max doesnÆt have Immunity to Charms , heÆd fall for her. -

- I donÆt think itÆs the charms, though. - Alexis shrugged. - Notice how none of us ever eyed any of the good - looking men or women we met throughout our journey? I think itÆs the effect of the hero title. Until our quest is done, we wonÆt be sidetracked by such stuff. -

- Oh, man. - Meela sighed. - Did that mean I missed all the good men that could have been in my life, too? -

- Maybe. You couldÆve been a princess if you werenÆt a hero. -

- Oh, well. -

- ItÆs not fair. - Alexis sulked.

- Huh? -

- We spent years fighting demons, hunting them throughout the world, and we killed the demon king. And what did we get? No special reincarnation from the gods. No post - battle reward to thank us for our sacrifice, those years of constant gruesome fighting. ArenÆt the gods just using child soldiers in a way? -

- Uh. I never thought about it like that. I thought it was a privilege, a responsibility for those with our gifts. And we are no longer the teens we once were. -

- Just a few years, Meela. -

Meela didnÆt say anything and just stared.

- But we have a second chance here. WeÆre still in this world. We can still reap the rewards of our sacrifice. -

MeelaÆs spirit bobbed. - I donÆt like the sound of that. -

- No. No, no, no. I mean. I donÆt have to be trapped in this dead - end job forever. -

- The soul contractÆs on you. -

- Maybe Tree - Tree can release me from it. Then we can travel the world. -

- Uh. we can travel the world if we wait one thousand years. We could just go and sleep in the soul realm and wake up one thousand years later. -

- You can do that. I canÆt. So these one thousand years will be a lot longer for me. If I have to keep doing research for the next one thousand years, I might go mad. -

- Well, talk to Tree - Tree? A bit of honesty, and maybe you can achieve something big for him. Then he can free you from your contract. -

- Huh. I certainly donÆt plan to serve - Alexis winced in pain. It was an intense one, and it sent Alexis into a kind of fidgeting shock.

- Oh, dear. You triggered it. -

The pain lasted for a good ten minutes. Meela, a floating soul, could only watch as her friend suffered in intense pain.

- Ugh, man, that was a bad headache. What was I saying? Where was I? What were we talking about? - Alexis finally recovered from the pain and seemed to suffer from some kind of amnesia.

Meela paused before deciding not to remind Alexis of the discussion. - Oh, nothing. We were just talking about dresses. Remember Lady AliceÆs silver bling dress. -

SIDE STORIES - Lozanna

- Relax and be focused, - Tree - Tree whispered into my mind.

A small wolf. That was my real opponent today, and I felt a bit intimidated by the idea of fighting it as my first non - sparring opponent. But it was a monster that appeared all the time in the forest, so Tree - Tree said it was probably the easiest one around.

Still, not easy. It was still bigger than me!

It growled, baring its fangs.

At the back of my mind, I knew Tree - Tree was watching. So was Horns, the giant fighting beetle, and maybe even Yura somewhere. So I tried to relax, but it was different.

There was real anger in the wolf, true hostility. Perhaps it was hungry. It growled again, and it changed its posture, looking at me with those angry eyes.

I looked at the spear in my right hand and the dagger in my left. I practiced for this, a long time, and so I believed I could do it. I had it engraved in my mind thanks to so many dreams of me just swinging the spear and the dagger.

No, I must do it.

A hero must do what a hero must.

The wolf charged, and our eyes met. My grip on the spear tightened, and I waited for the moment. It felt instinctive. I was one with the spear. It was a small one, and while I couldnÆt use a full - sized spear yet, it was enough.

The wolf entered my range.

And it pounced.

I ducked and instantly activated my ability Powerstrike . It felt natural like the times I practiced with Horns and Yura . The spearÆs tip pierced the wolfÆs hide, and it whimpered.

Our eyes met as the wolf looked at its wound, blood spilling. I saw the pain in its eyes. This might be the moment it died, I hoped. It whimpered, one of sorrow.

Like a dog.

A part of me wavered, and my spear shifted slightly. It was enough to change it from a fatal strike into one that would only leave a deep cut.

The wolf fell behind me, but it managed to get up and run away, leaving a trail of blood dripping onto the dirt.

And yet, I didnÆt give chase.

I froze.

My mind somehow replayed that pain in the wolfÆs eyes, the whimpering voice that sounded dog - like.

- You okay? - Tree - Tree whispered.

- I - I couldnÆt do it. -

A part of me cursed myself then. Was this how my dreams of being a hero ended?

Was I not meant to be a hero? Heroes killed monsters!

- The first time you draw blood says a lot. - Yura walked over, still holding his bow and arrow, ready if the battle went bad. - How do you feel? -

- I - IÆm disappointed. IÆm angry. Why couldnÆt I do it? - I looked at Yura , and he smiled. His big hands held my shoulders, and he gave me a shake.

- Why are you disappointed? -

- Because heroes are supposed to slay monsters! But. I failed. DidnÆt you tell me that some heroes started fighting monsters when they were six or seven? Does that mean I canÆt be a hero? -

Yura shook me again.

- Are heroes mindless fighting golems? -

- No. - I mean, heroes were supposed to be like gods in the battlefield, the power of the heavens made flesh, the fury of a hurricane made into human form.

- So why are you disappointed? Is it really the right thing to feel? -

- Uh. -

- The question is this. Why did you have to kill the wolf? -

- Because itÆs a monster? -

- Why do you have to kill monsters? -

- Because monsters hurt people? -

- Did it hurt you? -

- Well, not yet. -

- So why do you have to kill it? -

- It canÆt hurt me? -

- Then youÆll be killing everyone. -

- ItÆs very likely to hurt me and show aggression? If I didnÆt, I would be hurt. -

- Good point but, in this case, youÆve wounded it and chased it away. Is that sufficient? -

- Uncle Yura , youÆre giving me the moral answer again. I can sense it when youÆre lying and donÆt believe what you say. - I was young, but I knew it when I heard it. Uncle Yura would kill anyone that even scratched us. Maybe only Tree - Tree could stop him.

Yura shrugged and rubbed his head. - Heh. Well, it actually comes with experience, young Lozanna . When you meet more people, and meet more monsters, you will be able to better judge who do you spare, and who do you kill. -

- So that was the morally correct answer? - I thought the standard education that all elves, all parents, tried to give was to be morally just. But I lived in a world of wars. Even eight - year - old children like me knew that morally correct was just words. I lived in a world where might made right. Where heroes could order nations because their powers gave them that right. Where demons could crush nations overnight because their might was stronger.

Yura paused, kneeled next to me, and rubbed me on the head. - Yes. I have to tell you what is morally correct to do. When you deviate from it, you must be able to answer to yourself about why you deviated from what was morally correct. I may not truly believe in it, but that is because I know what is important to me. -

- Well, a hero should do what is morally just. - Did they? Maybe there were other ways of thinking. Or I was trying to take the easy way out?

I sometimes thought being a hero was really hard. All these types of justice, fairness. How did they think about these kinds of things in the heat of battle?

A week later, I asked Tree - Tree to let me fight the forest monsters again.

I thought long about it. I mean, it was hard to really think about it. I was only eight, and I got headaches when I thought for too long, and when I did, I felt like going to the playroom and just playing with my wooden toys again.

- So why do you want to fight again? - Yura asked. Maybe a part of him wished I would stop this hero dream of mine. I sometimes still heard Uncle Yura say that when he talked with Mom.

- I donÆt know. I just want to. Maybe I will get better. -

- ThatÆs not a good reason. -

- I just want to, - I insisted.

- Just because you want to, it doesnÆt mean you can. - Uncle Yura frowned and gave me that look when I was being a bit. difficult.

- Okay. But I still want to fight monsters. I want to level up, gain experience. -

Yura sighed. He probably knew I would run into the forest myself anyway since Tree - Tree was always there looking out for us. - Fine, be careful. -

So I found another small wolf to fight. There were lesser animals, like those giant rats or big squirrel - like stuff that lived in the forest, eating whatever fruits and leaves grew here.

This time, I wanted to beat it, but maybe I didnÆt have to kill it. Would I still get experience that way?

We spotted each other, and the wolf sized me up. At least, I assumed that was what it was doing when its eyes seemed to roam.

- Hello, wolf. IÆd like to fight you. -

The wolf growled, and I growled back. Naturally, my growl wasnÆt really threatening.

It entered into a combat stance, and so did I, my spear and dagger ready.

It charged, again, the same movement as the earlier wolf. Somehow, the animals had set moves that we could learn.

I ducked.

Powerstrike .

This time, I aimed somewhere in the side. It wouldnÆt kill it instantly, but it would do some harm.

The wolf winced in pain, and the dagger in my left hand swung in, landing a few cuts.

It swiped, and its claws managed to scratch me.

- Oww! - That really, really hurt. IÆm bleeding, a gash right on my left arm, from my wrist up to my elbow.

Pain. I felt like my entire left hand stung. Mom wouldnÆt like that. I had better get back and hope it didnÆt fester.

The wolf was injured, too; the cuts and the stab from the spear were causing it to bleed. I thought it did to me.

- Lozanna , are you all right? - Tree - Tree spoke into my head.

- Fine. Bleeding. Can you help me later? -

- Okay. -

The wolf charged, trying to take advantage of the time I was still talking to Tree - Tree. But my instincts, born from years of dreams and constant practice, managed to react in time, and so I ducked and stabbed the wolf again in the abdomen with my short spear.

It whimpered as it fell onto the dirt floor, and then its voice weakened. It was defenseless. The second stab drained its strength, and it could only limp.

It still looked at me. This time, its eyes were a mixture of anger and fear.

- Should I kill it? - I wondered.

My left hand was bleeding, and yet my grip on the dagger remained. The wolf took two steps back, limping.

- Should I? It hurt me. -

What would a hero do? That depended on which hero, really. Some would kill this wounded wolf, some would spare it, if it shows no further hostility.

If I were a hero, what would I do?

My eyes met with the wolf again. It growled at me as it stepped back.

IÆll take its life.

I thrust my spear at the wolf.

A loud clang sounded.

My spear was blocked by Yura Æs sword. He pushed my spear back, turned, and then shooed the wolf away, letting it slowly limp away.

- Lozanna . - He turned and noticed the bleeding on my left arm.

- WhyÆd you stop me, Uncle Yura ? - Why did he block my spear?

- I think youÆre not ready to take a life yet. -

- Why? -

- Because you are not. Now donÆt argue with me, and letÆs go back to Tree - Tree and get that gash patched up before your mommy nags me for not looking after you. -

I sighed. Oh, well.

Stats page

Lozanna Ricola, Level 20 (cumulative)

Elf girl, aged 8

Elf warrior (Level 11)

Skills

Powerstrike.

Basic evasive steps.

Spear experience û medium.

Dagger experience û low.

Basic pain endurance.

Improved reaction û basic.

Shadow Stab.

Villager (4 levels)

Skills

Disease resistance û basic.

Cottonwork û basic.

Olivework û advanced.

Generic/non - job specific (5 levels)

Skills

Basic endurance.

Advanced reading and writing û common tongue.

Blessed by a soul tree (special).

YEAR 77, MONTH 10

Laufen, Yura , Belle, Emile, and Lozanna - even Walen and Brislah , who both came back - met in the main room of the secret hideout, seated in a circle.

- I called everyone here to discuss the announcement from the high council, - Yura started, the high council having announced the arrangement a day ago after formalizing the necessary amendments to their rules and laws, to incorporate the existence of the new positions and institutions.

- How could we not? - Walen shrugged. - Everyone in my workplace is talking about it and asking me whether I get anything. -

Yura sighed. - First of all, you might have heard the story, but letÆs just go through why this is happening. Tree - Tree has decided that he wants a larger role in the affairs of New Freeka since Tree - Tree has been tangled up in multiple battles due to New FreekaÆs hostile relationship with Salah. Providing free protection without compensation or representation isnÆt what Tree - Tree considers to be an ideal arrangement. This will give Tree - Tree greater ability to choose the battles it fights and avoid those it doesnÆt want to participate in. -

- But isnÆt that what. tree spirits do? - Brislah asked. - Tree spirits raised by elves protect their cities and capitals? Are they not benevolent spirits of the earth that protect the inhabitants and their surroundings? -

- ThatÆs a story often passed down, but the truth is not so simple. We donÆt know what price the elven nations pay to their tree spirits in order to obtain their assistance. If there are, I would think they are secrets of the kings and the royal court. Perhaps the tree spirits of those nations owe the elves some kind of favor, too. We cannot use the charity of other tree spirits as an expectation of Tree - TreeÆs demands and conduct. -

The other elves nodded, prompting Yura to continue.

- A healthy ecosystem must have everyone playing their part. A New Freeka that doesnÆt contribute back to the system is not productive to the entire valley. -

- Ecosystem? -

- Yeah, a word from Tree - Tree. It means the system of how each individual and creature in the valley interacts with each other. -

An awkward pause followed.

- Right. Back to the announcement. Tree - Tree has decided to appoint me supreme counsel and Laufen as vice counsel of the newly set up Valtorn Order. Now, what this means is that both of us are now part of the high council of New Freeka. -

- Some of them say itÆs a power grab. - Walen voiced out the rumors from the ground. There were plenty of other such thoughts and rumors passing around.

- In some ways, it is. - Yura nodded. - The fact is, a third of all tax collected is now under our control, and so is a third of the militia. A skeleton group of administrative staff and treasury have been assigned to assist the Valtorn Order as well. And that is a heavy burden we now have to bear, to fulfill Tree - TreeÆs will. -

Another moment of silence passed as everyone digested the meaning of this change. It was big, since the seven of them were named as the Selected special individuals that Tree - Tree had commanded to be specially protected. In time, this might mean having guards assigned to each of them.

- Any thoughts? -

Walen grumbled, - Uncle Yura , to be honest, I - I donÆt really care what Tree - Tree wants to do. I am trying to move on, actually. We lived for years under Tree - TreeÆs care and protection, like refugees, like war victims, and now, there is a town that springs up next to Freeka, one of nonhumans like us, where we can return and live life as regular people again. A life, similar to the past. Before all this destruction. I even have a job now. and friends! -

Yura paused and looked at Walen . - Tree - Tree -

But before Yura could continue his response, Walen continued, - I understand all this is actually possible because of Tree - TreeÆs presence and protection of New Freeka. But this pronouncement does make our life a little bit more complicated. -

- I understand. After living so long in the shadows of war, all of us would really cherish these moments of normalcy and calm. -

- I would like to continue having a normal life like everyone else. Live a life in a town, working. Being a part of the ruling elite is something that never crossed my mind. - Walen and Brislah moved to New Freeka to work and live some time ago, and frankly, I could see why.

- It is disruptive for the life youÆve tried to rebuild in New Freeka, but please, bear with us. There are bigger things at play here. - Yura nodded. - WeÆll try not to disrupt your life as much as we can, so you can still live some of that normal life. But things will change, and not everything will remain normal. -

Walen sighed. - I suppose that will be all I can ask. -

It was Brislah Æs turn to speak. - WeÆre going to be special, arenÆt we? -

Laufen nodded. - Yes. It is a strange twist of fate, but we are now a special group in this valley. -

With some reluctance, the seven elves accepted their fate.

The announcement was rather confusing to the populace of New Freeka, but to most of them, it was something they soon forgot since reorganization at the top happened frequently, and for refugees who lived through changes of power, such things were common. Every time a king changed, there was bound to be some restructuring.

So the new organization of the season was the Valtorn Order.

That was the name I came up with. Just a combination of the words valley and tree.Æ

A few days later, the exiled wizard of Baroosh visited the inner courtyard of my main tree, surprising Yura who was taking a rest, a little overwhelmed from the sudden influx of matters requiring his attention. - Greetings. -

- Ah, Wizard Madeus. -

- I hear that you are hiring, Supreme Counsel. - The wizard smiled and bowed.

Yura coughed at the title and the bow. Perhaps the wizard was mocking him. - Ah, yes. -

- Well, good. Allow me to get to the point. I would like to offer my services to the tree spirit. -

Yura coughed quite hard. Was he choking? After a few coughs, he recovered and looked into the wizardÆs eyes. - Surely, you jest. -

- No. I mean it. I would like to offer my services to the tree spirit and the Valtorn Order. ItÆs something IÆve been thinking about it for days since I found about the whole Valtorn OrderÆs setup. -

Yura couldnÆt answer, so he just paused.

- Accepted. - I didnÆt let Yura say more.

I had a need for a mageÆs services, so the fact that he came and offered it was very much welcome. Whether he had the right motives. well, that could be sorted out later. As it was, I needed someone as a counterpoint to Alexis, to share knowledge of the magicks from a different source, and Alexis, as a foreign hero, lacked the nuts and bolts of magick since her power over magic was likely to be innate - something of a gift arising from her cheat power. A regular mage like Madeus would likely have a more robust understanding of basic magic, as he had to explore it from a young age.

The wizard staggered back, having not spoken to me telepathically before. - Ah. Apologies. It is just a surprise to hear the voice in my head. So this is what Yvon and the councilors hear when they speak of the tree spirit. -

- Welcome, Wizard. We have much to speak about. Yura , can you please summon the captains of the existing Valtorn Order? I wish to speak to them later. -

Yura nodded and left, his cape fluttering as he walked. He had a special uniform made for him - one that identified him as supreme counsel - and everywhere he went, a few of the Valtorn guards would accompany him. There would be plans for a new set of uniforms for the Valtorn guards, but that was a lesser priority, so for now, their uniform remained as it was.

- So, Wizard. I believe your name is Madeus? -

He nodded.

- All right. Madeus, welcome to the team. First of all, as a tree who doesnÆt get to go out much, my knowledge about the wider world is very limited. So, tell me, what do you know about. the wider world? And heroes. And that void magic the princess encountered. -

He paused and stopped. - ThatÆs a lot to go through, but. are you referring to my research back in Baroosh? -

- That would be a good place to start. - I led him, using the vines, to one of the subsidiary trees external rooms. Since some of the elves moved out, it had been repurposed into more of a study for Lozanna . She was out now, so we could use it. I was hoping to make a library here someday.

- Back then, I was researching the magics of the heroes. so I collected various books and writings left by the heroes of the past. One such item was the Mad - Hero, Arsene Emir, who. obsessed on summoning more of his friends. -

- May I ask why? -

- The king was curious about the origins of their power. By discovering how they were summoned, perhaps we could glean a hint. -

- Oh? -

- The high king of Baroosh is a very old man - he is close to a hundred this year. So he has met many generations of heroes, who all went on to slay the demon kings. When he was only a teenager, he met a hero who appeared in the Baroosh, freshly summoned by the gods. Our king offered him shelter and spoke to him at length. He came to understand that the heroes all come from another world very different to our own. But, at the back of his mind, he really wanted to know where the heroes power came from and whether, just whether, there was a way to gain that power for himself. -

Well, okay. The high king of Baroosh just kind of went up in the list of threats, but somehow, the wizard still spoke of him rather reverentially.

- Well, the hero didnÆt know much. He only knew that each of the gods gave a few heroes their blessing, and as such, that generation - there were ten of them - were scattered throughout the world. Anyway, the point is, the king saw the heroes when they were freshly summoned. The hero he met then, his name was Andrei, had the power of bending earth, such that everything was drawn to or away from him. He could make things heavy or light. -

Uh. Madeus, are you going off on a tangent?

- When the king met the last generation of heroes, he was. rather disappointed. Their powers were still amazing by most measure, but yet, compared to Andrei the Earthbreaker, there was just too large a gap. So the king wondered whether there was a mistake in the summoning of heroes. -

- The heroes still beat the demon king, did they not? - I thought heroes should be judged on whether they beat the demon king. That was their purpose, right?

- The point I tried to make to my king is that there are just too many different types of heroes. Consider the story from two hundred and twenty years ago. There was only a single hero summoned. And that single hero became Emperor Taksa Moor Nungsari. That hero later founded the Darmoon dynasty, which later splintered into the Takde, Nung, Salah, and the now destroyed Moras and Fikris kingdoms. -

- Sounds like thereÆs nothing much, other than history. - I mean, so what? If my own experience served as a guide, it could be their attempted extraction of souls didnÆt work that well. Maybe the truck that was supposed to hit the bus missed, and the rest of the passengers survived.

- Well, yes. - Madeus slouched, his head downcast. - My research got me nowhere. It seems a lot of it is on the individuals and some strange stroke of luck. And itÆs not as if the lesser number of heroes is always stronger than when more heroes are summoned. For every theory I came up with, there was always some other incident that proved otherwise. -

- Okay. So heroes are random. - Actually, does he know about star mana?

- Yes. If thereÆs anything that I actually did find, it is that the heroes are getting younger. And I have no idea why. -

- Huh? -

Okay, that was absolutely a letdown. I was hoping to gain some insight into heroes and the demon king, but it looked like I would have to try elsewhere. At least he seemed rather knowledgeable about history, so I decided to try a different question. - Anyway, since we are also talking a bit about history. is there a time before heroes? -

The wizard sipped his tea and thought for a moment. - Uh. there is supposed to be a time before heroes and demon kings. but it is millennia ago, and we donÆt have any records. -

- When was the first documented demon king? -

- We also donÆt know. There was a demon king, Demon King Amadeus, who destroyed close to eighty percent of the world, and with it, most of the worldÆs written records. So the information predating Demon King Amadeus is scarce, and the word - of - mouth stories are not reliable. -

- Fine, tell me about Demon King Amadeus. How did the world defeat it from such a position? -

- Uh. the legends from that era are not very consistent. It did happen many thousands of years ago. There are a few theories, though. The most believed one is that a group of heroes were summoned in the scattered islands, and they later defeated the demon king. -

- Has any other demon king come close to that level of destruction? -

- Not many, but a few notable demon kings did destroy at least a few continents each. Of those we know of, only Amadeus was successful enough to destroy all the continents. -

Hmm. - Why didnÆt the heroes stop them? -

- Again, we have very little knowledge. My own understanding is that it was a case of the heroes being summoned too late and needing time to get stronger. In quite a few cases with other demon kings, overconfident heroes tried when they were not ready and got killed. -

- HowÆd the world recover from something like Demon King Amadeus? -

- Uh, there were survivors, a lot of them in hiding. And the heroes who defeated Amadeus went on to defeat two more demon kings, so the legend goes. That gave the world some time to recover from the extensive damage, but all this is really word of mouth since written records from that era are rare. We donÆt really even know whether the destruction was really that extensive since the records are so rare. -

- Have there ever been instances where. heroes were summoned twice? -

- Not that I know of, but. it is possible? - Madeus seemed totally clueless on this. Fine.

- Fine. Tell me about this. the ten - year demon king cycle. - I mean, thatÆs something that I wondered about. Why ten years?

- Oh. We have no idea why. Perhaps itÆs some quirk in the stars. ItÆs not a rule, though. There have been exceptions a lot of times, and we have no idea why. -

Okay, not helping. I needed to try other kinds of questions. - Why did the world leave all the fighting to the heroes? Why not the locals? Is there nobody at the level of the heroes? -

- Uh. itÆs. itÆs just the way it always has been. -

- Really? -

- But I would think it would be really, really hard. Even slaying a demon champion needs very high - level fighters and mages. -

Once again, not helping. Was there some level wall or ceiling that existed for the locals, so that the world needed to rely on external powers? - Hmm. Never mind, then. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I will borrow your knowledge of history later. -

- You are welcome. Consider it proof of my sincerity. - Madeus nodded and took a sip from the wooden cup.

- Anyway, why do you want to serve me? - I asked.

- When you managed to undo the damage suffered by the princess, I realized that you must be a great and powerful being. To serve a great being would be a privilege, an honor, and I hope to be part of that greatness. Maybe the greatness will rub off on me. - Ah, a glory chaser. Hmm. IÆll need to watch him a bit more carefully.

- Hmm, greatness may not be something I can offer. I can offer you fruits. -

Madeus laughed as a bowl of fruits appeared before him. He smiled, grabbed one, and bit.

YEAR 77, MONTH 11

An envoy from Salah came, bearing strange news. One of. unconditional ceasefire. A truce. The offer soon riled up the entire high council, who managed to be outraged, happy, and greedy. Pretty much everything.

It was the first time Yura sat on the high council, with his thirty - three percent voting rights on such matters, with an additional right to veto certain decisions.

- We have the advantage; we should demand reparations from Salah! - one of the councilors said. - They are afraid, and now they want a truce! -

- I grow tired of war, - another councilor said. - Perhaps we should just take it. -

- No! Salah has caused us a great deal of harm. We should not take it without compensation! -

They argued, and they eventually settled into two camps, a group that demanded extra compensation, and another that wanted to accept.

So Yvon, as the chair of the high council, turned to Yura . - Supreme Counsel, as representative of the tree spirit, do you have any words to add? -

- Tree spirit is of the view we should accept it. Ongoing combat is not productive for the valley. There are bigger concerns. -

My first concern was the demonic rifts. Those should start appearing very soon, as those happened well in advance of the demon kingÆs arrival.

- But SalahÆs not exactly a trustworthy country to deal with? We could accept the truce only for them to break it! -

- So? We donÆt have any offensive capability at the moment. A truce is good for us since it allows to trade with Salah. -

With that, the truce was accepted. Of course, this was rather shocking to SalahÆs envoy as well, who expected a rejection and were prepared to die.

YEAR 77, MONTH 12

- HereÆs the man you asked me to find, tree spirit. IÆll leave the room now. - Yura bowed and left the old man standing alone in the small room, right next to the Tree of Prayers . It was a special room, more of a courtyard, with one tree in the middle and sunlight coming in from above. It was winter, so there was snow, too.

The old man, a half - elf, looked around and shrugged. - WhatÆs this. -

I spoke directly to his mind. - Hello, Wesley. -

He paused and tried to see whether there was anyone else in the room. - Is this some trick? Or magic? -

I gave him some time and, after a while, he stopped.

- Fine. WhoÆre you? - he asked.

- IÆm Tree - Tree, the tree spirit of the valley. -

He rubbed his chin. - Huh, so there really is a tree spirit. So what can I do for you? -

- IÆd like you to help conduct some. ceremonies for me. Something a person like yourself, a former priest, can do. -

- What kind of ceremonies? -

- Simple ones. I have a few in mind, for the dying, for death, and for births. Laufen will assist you, but she is not fit for the role of a master of ceremonies. Are you keen? -

The man paused. - What do I get? -

- A fair pay, accommodation, and some tea to help with the aches you have. Additional things can be discussed. -

The man paced around the courtyard a few times. Clearly this was something he was thinking about a lot until he paused and asked, - Which god am I praying to? -

- None. -

His face was one of shock. - So. what rituals are we actually doing? -

- IÆll let you know, but first, are you willing? -

The first of the ceremonies happened a few days later. One of the older folk in New Freeka passed away. There, the population comprised of a mix of elves, dwarves, centaurs, treefolk, half - elves, some lizardmen, and quite a few more others, though elves formed the bulk of them.

So there were actually many ways to process a corpse. The few that I knew so far were cremation, burial, magical deconstruction, petrification, or transformation into a statue. The presence of magic added a large variety of possible ways a corpse could be sent off, entombed, or immortalized.Æ

Anyway, that was just how things were elsewhere.

- WhatÆs this? - an elderly woman, the deceasedÆs wife, asked as the corpse of the old man was brought in by some of the guards on stretchers.

Wesley smiled, a calm, reassuring smile from years of training as a priest, and he warmly greeted the elderly woman. - New FreekaÆs welcomed the tree spirit into its fold, and this is one of the many ways the great tree has given us his gifts. -

It was a large open space, and there was a curved, bent tree as if the tree grew straight up before heading sideways. Along its trunk, there was a large opening in it, filled with a greenish liquid. Multiple flowers dotted the side of the trunk.

Wesley nodded to the guards, and a few of the men assisted in placing the corpse of the old man slowly into the opening.

- With this, the dead will be one with the tree spirit, his soul on their journey to the world beyond. -

The corpse slowly sank into the thick, greenish liquid, and for effect, the flowers around the trunk started to bloom a little bigger as a pleasant, calming, soothing scent was released into the room. There was even some wind and rustling sounds to add to the moment. And when the corpse fully sank and disappeared into the green liquid, the flowers glowed slightly.

The family cried for a good hour as Wesley spoke to each member of the family, giving them a blessing. He then picked the flowers from the side of the trunk and passed one to each of the family members.

- What happens to the body? -

- It is now with the tree spirit and has found peace, at last, - Wesley said and, somehow, probably due to his past priest levels, it was really convincing. - These flowers contain the essences of your deceased father, and they will last longer than normal flowers, but they, too, will fade after a year. Think of it as a reminder of he who has now left us. -

The elderly woman nodded. - Is there. something more permanent, perhaps a marker we can get? To remind us of our beloved? -

Wesley smiled, and he touched the trunk. From the greenish liquid, a small bone floated up. He carefully picked it up with a special spoon and placed it in a ceremonial wooden bowl.

- Ah, yes. This is the condensed bones of your husband. Keep it as you wish or make it into something. - The elderly woman accepted it with tears in her eyes, and after a bit more small talk, the entire family left.

Wesley breathed a huge sigh of relief.

It was the first time this ceremony had been shown to the citizens of New Freeka, and even the guards themselves had not seen it.

- HowÆd it go? - Wesley asked when there was only Laufen remaining inside the courtyard of death. There were some proposed names for the courtyard, perhaps to call it the Garden of Return, to signify oneÆs return to the tree spirit. I quite liked it, but I was still pondering other names before finalizing it with Wesley and Laufen since Laufen was going to play a larger role in the rituals and religious aspects of the Valtorn Order.

- Good. -

- Is that really the bone of the deceased? -

- Yes. -

- Ah, good. IÆve not lied, then. -

- WhatÆd both of you think of the ceremony? -

Wesley sat and smoked some kind of rolled - up leaves, nodding. - ItÆs. easy. I believe the tale will spread soon, and more families will ask for this ceremony. -

- Any views on how to improve it? -

Laufen shook her head. - I like it, but let me sleep on it a little. Maybe IÆll get some ideas later. -

- Me, too. I was so nervous doing it for the first time. All I want to do now is just get the hang of it first. -

- Very well; it was a good first time. Go get some rest. - They both nodded and left the courtyard, and I returned into my soul realm to have a look at the results of the ceremony.

- The dead manÆs soul was in good condition and a state of calm. Reincarnation to the next world was going to be quite a breeze. It was actually an interesting modification of the elven tradition of burying the dead next to the soul trees, instead going for the route of direct absorption. -

Well, that was fine, but my focus was on. collection, so I checked my log.

- Ah man, no seeds. Well, at least there are some essences. -

This ceremony was actually derived from that little experience I had with both Alexis and, later, Falklay, and that exposed tree trunk was really a modified biolab pod. The idea I had was really rather simple. I wanted more of the seeds that came with FalklayÆs death, and I was really keen to try and get more of those seeds by way of absorbing the dead.

By giving the citizens, the families, a pleasant experience, I was hoping to get fresher dead and, with that, a higher chance of harvesting whatever I could get. A part of me felt a little tiny bit bad for desecrating the dead, but the bulk of me felt like it was totally fine since I was playing the religious role here! And besides, they would just end up burning the body, so that wasnÆt exactly any better than what I was doing.

The next ceremony was something where Laufen played a bigger role. A birth. and babies. In some worlds, there were rituals like baptisms, flower baths, or special chants to bless a newborn.

Children are our future. My future.

- Congratulations on the baby. - Laufen bowed and shook the hand of the young mother, the father next to her watching. The little infant cradled in the motherÆs arms cried a little, and the mother quickly rocked and tried to soothe the baby.

- Ah. what can we do for you? -

- As the vice counsel of the Valtorn Order, IÆd like to present a small present for the family, for the newborn. -

Laufen handed over a basket containing a few bottles.

- That bottle contains a special liquid made from the sap of the tree spirit. It will boost the infantÆs strength and vitality. ItÆll also help with the cold weather. - Made using the Childcare corner Æs special syrup, mixed with some essences, some minerals, it should give a good boost to any weak baby, and it also gave a shot of warmth to help the baby through the winter.

- That other bottle is something for the sick babies. If they have a fever or a cold, or just donÆt look too well. - I had something given to Roma back when he was a tiny baby, so this was the same thing, just bottled up. Made from healing juice condensed into a thick, gooey, sweet syrup.

- That last one is if the babyÆs hungry, but the mommyÆs out of milk. - It was a thick, preserved juice containing a mix of nutrients, meant to temporarily tide over the childÆs hunger. Again, made from the childcare corner .

- Ah. - The father and mother seemed rather surprised, but the father seemed afraid to receive them, as was normal for gifts. Perhaps there was some expectation of payment or some kind of subtle extortion as refugees often encountered in their journeys.

- ItÆs free. A gift with no strings. It is something the Valtorn Order wants to do for the children born of the valley. - Laufen bowed and went to walk out, flashing a warm, motherly smile before leaving. - Please let me know if you have any challenges with the child. -

Although LaufenÆs official title was now vice counsel, she wasnÆt exactly keen to participate in the political activities, so as with all quasi - religious, militant organizations, there needed be someone to spearhead the public service, charitable, social elements of the organization.

LaufenÆs duties were to organize the gifts for the newly born, set up a creche for young children and babies within the Valtorn OrderÆs space, create an orphanage for the orphans, then a kindergarten, and finally launch a combat - oriented school for the older kids. Charity and such social services softened the image of the Valtorn Order and cultivated a generation with favorable views of the order.

There were a lot of births - on average, about six or seven a day, so Laufen had many homes to visit. In time, Emile, Belle, and the workers would also play the role of delivering these gifts, but for now, the two younger ladies were helping out as her assistants.

Some of the parents would outright refuse the gifts, and that was fine. It was given at no compulsion, and Laufen herself would not push - after all, parents had the right to choose what they gave to their infants. Gradually, though, this was helping to build a positive reputation for the Valtorn Order, building public support for this new entity that suddenly emerged.

As part of the transition to the newly setup Valtorn Order, a large patch of land around the Tree of Prayer had been transferred over, so a bit of construction work was going on to build all the facilities required, though we had to prioritize for the burial services first, which was fairly easy since it was mostly just setting up the space for the tree.

Also, I wanted to have the Valtorn Order earn some income independent of the tax collections, in order to fund all the other ideas I had in my head for my gradual takeover of New Freeka.

One of these ideas was to set up a clinic, or a healing chamber of some kind, using the biolab and the medical juices. With this, I could charge adventurers, soldiers, and whatnot a fee for using my healing services, similar to how it was for other healers all around the world. This wouldnÆt be much, but it would help subsidize the cost of staff.

Next, I would be looking to sell some special products. I had some in mind, perhaps even the ginseng, if I could make them of an acceptable quality. They would probably sell for a good price. Then higher - quality crops, directly to the market. But that would involve dedicating some of the subsidiary trees for that purpose. Maybe a special series of olive oils for ceremonial use and sale. I thought that could sell since people loved enchanted stuff.

The processed, preserved healing fruits were also a potential product, but whether that was a worthwhile venture might depend on the price.

I also had my ability to make wood products using my wood - shaping magic, but I thought that was probably not a good use of my time unless I made them automatically.

Additionally, the beetles could go and kill monsters and bring back loot we could sell.

Oh, wait. My large beetle - pods were ready, too.

Large beetle pods - completed.

Enhanced interior structures - completed.

Fruit bombs - increased range and power - completed.

Eye - Tree Stage I research option unlocked - fifteen months remaining.

Beetle - anti - magma armors stage 2 - six months remaining.

Tree - volcanic adaptation stage 3 - fifteen months remaining.

Roots - volcanic mineral harvesting - stage 1 - five months remaining.

I had an epiphany one day, which was, there was sulfur in the volcano. ShouldnÆt that allow me to make sulfuric acid? Would I be able to have fruits with highly corrosive acid in it? Or beetles that spat acid? A ranged unit perhaps?

As a result, I just had to conduct research on the ability of my volcano - adapted subsidiary treeÆs roots to safely absorb sulfur through their roots. I thought that would be the first step in acquiring any sort of ranged unit. So I was going to have larger beetles, hopefully ranged beetles, and also flying beetles and acidic, corrosive beetles. Plenty of variation in the beetle family. Of course, this made Horns rather happy. I still hadnÆt figured out how to get that step from sulfur to acid, but I would figure it out once we got there. Perhaps it would be some kind of large, segregated tank where the sulfur was processed.

Oh, well.

I was starting to have a few more things going on than I could handle.

I needed help.

Time to create another artificial soul.

TREE OF A/ Two.

2023 SPAIzzER

YEAR 78, MONTH 1

An eruption.

A fine way to start the new year.

The damned volcano erupted and destroyed every single thing near it. About half of my beetles failed to escape, so they died, all buried under debris, dust, lava, rocks, and all the other things volcanoes spit out.

I figured volcanoes, especially those that still pumped out lava, would be somewhat dangerous, but I forgot about the risk as I didnÆt see any major eruption. I was lulled into complacency and thought it was one of those stable volcanoes.

That said, I wondered why my roots didnÆt sense the seismic movements. I recalled back on Earth, volcanoes generated tremors or minor quakes before they eventually erupted. Did the magic in this world mess with such processes?

Oh, well. This was just a minor setback, a bit of delay to my volcano expansion plans. If life went too easy, IÆd probably think something bad was going to happen. That probably pushed my plans back by a couple of months to let the volcanoÆs environment settle - also for me to rebuild my forces before attempting another assault on the magma golems that spawned closer to the now partly exposed caldera.

I was eager to test out the new large beetles in combat since these creatures were larger, with bigger legs and horns. I really wanted to see how they performed against those golems.

But I had to wait.

So I turned my attention to the next few things I had in mind.

In New Freeka, we had a massive hall with a few external biolabs, and Yura helped to guide the Valtorn soldiers. The hall itself was filled with animals and plants gathered from the region over the last month.

The men were mostly idle, so we sent them out on gathering missions to collect different kinds of plants and animals, as many as they could find, whatever theyÆd not seen before or whatever they noticed that was different from New Freeka, then bring it back. With this small bounty, I went through all the plants and animals theyÆd brought back. The soldiers, with Yura Æs supervision, loaded the biolabs, five of them located side by side, with specimens.

After the biological analysis, some soldiers were tasked with moving our collection to designated patches of unused lands where another group with Farming or Planting skills would attempt to replant these specimens.

My intention was simple. There was a lack of plant diversity in the valley, and that needed to be addressed. I hoped to somehow unlock more unique trees , like the ginseng trees , so that I could produce new items. By expanding and discovering new species of crops, it would improve the variety of my subsidiary tree û crops .

The first step of analyzing the plants took five days and the animals another four days. The reason I asked for the animals was to throw off whoever was observing us on the goal of getting more plant varieties, but it was a waste not to analyze the animals since they were already collected. After the animals were scanned by the biolabs, they were placed in an area that was meant to be a menagerie.

New crop species unlocked - Wheat, Jackfruit, Light Corn, Blackpotato, Rye, Red hops, Blueberry, Fireberry.

New Tree type unlocked: Common herbal bushes. Bushes containing a wide variety of herbs. Herb varieties appear at random.

- HowÆs the register coming along? -

- ItÆll take some time, Counsel, - a young junior Herbalist responded while he and his assistants bowed.

- Understood, but this is something the Tree Spirit wants completed as soon as possible. -

They nodded. Trevor and Dimitree had separately built a compilation of the plants of the valley and their characteristics, which they could identify using the data from the biolabs. But I had Yura hire an herbalist to start work on a physical copy of a register, just to compare the kind of information an herbalist would normally take down and one prepared by my tree - minds.

The herbalist, together with the gardeners and other farmhands, would later be assigned as the ones tasked with management of the gardens within the wider compound of the Valtorn Order. It was one of those odd jobs in an organization growing larger.

IÆd left the animals gathered through this collection exercise in the care of the Rangers and others like them. From the refugees, there were some with the right skillset. Rangers , Flock Tenders , and Herders also possessed some skills with animals, so they were best suited for the task of caring for the collection of animals.

It wasnÆt a perfect match in terms of skill and job class, but oh well. Maybe theyÆd gain a better version of the class someday.

YEAR 78, MONTH 2

The Valtorn Order had a separation exercise. The military force we observed was a little too large for my liking, and from what I could see, their competencies were lacking. So, like what companies did when their staff size was not optimal or when their payroll costs were too high, we had -

Retreenchments!

I briefly imagined myself as that dude from TV, walking up to guys who didnÆt make the cut, saying, - YouÆre fired! -

But thatÆs not exactly a nice way to do things.

Yura and the captains identified those who were not so good at their jobs based on their performance during the collection exercise, and then they spoke to those non - performing soldiers whether they had other secondary talents they didnÆt reveal to us. We offered them an opportunity to take part in the other roles happening in the Order if they had some interest or relevant skillsets. If they didnÆt, we gave them a small payout and sent them on their way.

I wanted to hire herbalists and all those other specialists. To do so, I needed money, and money sadly didnÆt grow on trees, so I had to streamline the payroll and prioritize areas where I wanted skills and people.

One must cut away the rotting branch for a new one to grow, eliminate the deadwood or non - productive parts. Even though we tried to be diplomatic about it, there was still plenty of crying, anger, and cussing.

I feared retaliation.

- Ivy. -

- Yes, Master. -

- Monitor those we have fired. See whether they do anything unusual. Let me know if there is any attempted retaliation, but do not interfere unless I instruct you to do so. -

- As you command. -

Ivy was my new tree - mind assistant, and her assigned task was monitoring the Valtorn Order and its interaction with the citizens, reporting any unusual matters. I also tasked her to observe all financial and trade transactions within New Freeka.

Monitoring the activities of about three to four thousand employees of the Valtorn Order was a laborious affair, even with my trees everywhere, and Ivy pretty much had little capacity to do anything else.

A part of me felt like I had become that which I hated in my past life, the big brother that intruded on everyoneÆs privacy or that overly micromanaging boss who looked through everything I did with a fine - toothed comb.

Despite that, this was a magical world, and I had to pick the bigger baddie here. I acknowledged my faults in doing so, but curbing corruption and finding traitors took priority. Survival trumped privacy.

For now.

Even in their somewhat perilous situation, people would find ways to cheat or steal, to take a little more for themselves. So I thought I would be ready since I knew about it and knew it existed.

I knew nobody was innocent. But IvyÆs report still stunned me.

The extent of misconduct was massive.

Almost all of the employees engaged in at least one minor misconduct with surprising regularity.

It was usually relatively small, like a coin or two per transaction, or a little slip of coin to move up the queue in the burial services. Some soldiers would steal utensils from the mess hall and bring them home for their families. Or they intentionally tore or stole a piece of uniform so they could use the cloth for something else. Administrative staff stole paper or writing equipment.

When Ivy first reported the extent of such things, I just felt mad. I almost wanted to lash out in anger and kill all these people.

- Were you expecting saints from these former refugees? The fact that they adapted to a new way of life so quickly is admirable. - Meela sometimes dispensed a bit of wisdom.

Well, true. This world didnÆt possess a properly regimented education system to teach a sense of morals, and parents trying to survive probably had a different set of morals than me. Even if there were some attempts to create a good education system, there wasnÆt enough time or stability for its effects to really sink in since the world got hammered by the demon king with great regularity.

If there was anywhere with a proper education system, it was probably in those fantasy places, the mountaintop cloud cities, the moving giant islands, or the walking towers of the great deserts. If such places existed.

I also wondered how many years of formal education the citizens of New Freeka had.

Ultimately, after some thinking, I decided to just have the worst offenders retrenched and just put up with the minor infractions among the rest. Perhaps someday I would have a group of morally upright employees, but for now, these were the cards I had, and unlike a game of cards, I couldnÆt redraw.

- Should I continue monitoring them, Master? - Ivy was not fond of the task, but she still obeyed.

- Well. yes. -

- ItÆs taking up most of my processing ability. Filtering through all the language and small talk was really challenging. -

- Ah, well. fine. Will it help if you restrict the scope to within our compounds and just the area around them? -

- A lesser area would mean less to monitor, so yes, it will help a bit. But I estimate itÆll still use up seventy percent of my available processing power. -

- Unfortunately, IÆll need someone to watch these guys. Please, bear with it. Maybe itÆll get easier once you gain some levels. -

- As you command. -

YEAR 78, MONTH 2 (CONTINUED)

The first large beetles emerged from their pods. The volcano started to stabilize, so I sent the large volcano - adapted beetles on their first missions. That was why they were created, after all. Their initial combat performance was encouraging, as they easily defeated the lesser monsters, but their first encounter with the massive magma golems was disappointing.

Though they now had the size, they still lacked the necessary firepower to take out the golems. At least they could take three punches from the golems before dying, unlike regular beetles, who just got squashed underfoot.

According to Yura and the data gathered from the adventurers guild in New Freeka, magma golems were considered monsters for adventurers around the level fifty to sixty with suitable gear. A person with suitable skills could possibly take one out at level forty.

Given that my regular beetles were a match of soldiers around level twenty to thirty, I guessed the large beetles still needed a lot more upgrades to give those magma golems a good fight.

Ah. Back to the research queue.

Eye - Tree Stage I research option unlocked - 13 months remaining.

Beetle - anti - magma armors stage 2 - 4 months remaining.

Tree - volcanic adaptation stage 3 - 13 months remaining.

Roots - Volcanic mineral harvesting - stage 1 - 3 months remaining.

Following the acquisition of the various new plant species, I had both Dimitree and Trevor attempt to use their abilities to improve the plant diversity in the valley. To some extent, the valley on both sides was largely dominated by my type of tree, though at least the ThreeTree of mana granted some visual varieties.

I needed to look up some pollens and bees, and flowering plants as well.

Oh, well.

At least with the improved inflow of gems and rare crystals, IÆd managed to upgrade the rootnet to support a larger capacity of tree - energy. The upgraded rootnet would take up to one hundred thousand normal trees, which also meant more artificial souls. IÆd probably make some more tree - minds to take some load off Ivy, since the task of monitoring so many people was monumental.

- TreeTree. IÆve got a proposal. -

Huh. A proposal from Alexis. - Well, letÆs hear it. -

- IÆve been talking to Meela, and IÆm thinking of using the biolab to make a body. Not a full flesh - and - blood kind of body since itÆs clearly not at that level, but IÆm thinking of experimenting with treefolk corpses as a transition between regular sentient species and. well, trees. -

Huh.

- Well, my theory was that treefolk exist as some kind of magical evolutionary in between a tree and regular humans. So looking at treefolk was a good starting point to figure out what the magical mechanics within their body are that allows them to do what they do. -

- So youÆre asking for my permission to do this experiment? -

- Yes. The goal was to be able to create flexible wooden. uhm. armor as a vessel for souls. - I think she means robots. She wanted to create a body for herself. Well, there was still that dryad body formed from her corpse. Maybe sheÆd forgotten about that already?

- I am rather fond of the treefolk. They give me no trouble, have shown willingness to defend the valley when instructed, and have been polite and respectful whenever contacted. -

- Ah. so thatÆs a no? -

- I will ask the treefolk for their permission. Conducting autopsies on the dead should be approved by their kin. -

- That makes sense. - Well, Alexis seemed to understand that, at least. - Ah, there was also one other thing. -

- Huh? -

- I am thinking of expanding. IÆll need space. and materials. and some of your beetles. -

- What do you mean? -

- Ah, I reached level thirty, and I have this new skill called Locational Survey Tools . It allows me to take control of a few beetles and place research equipment on them, and this will speed up research on environment resistances. Kind of making a. a research - oriented scout out of the beetle. I can operate two at any one time. -

Hmm. Actually, I thought that sounded a bit like the Moon Buggy, but an actual bug! Or perhaps the Mars Rover. Fascinating. She went into the whole science route, which made sense as a spirit haunting a massive research biolab. Would a flying bug with this be essentially a flying science vessel?

- Fine, you get two beetles. Let me know what materials you need. -

Alexis clapped her ghostly hands in joy. - Thank you. -

The treefolk chiefs visited a few days later, three of them: the one from before and two I hadnÆt met. It seemed their number had increased over the years as immigration brought more and more treefolk to the valley.

- It was an honor to be summoned by the Tree Spirit. - The three treefolk prostrated themselves before me. I had forgotten they revered tree spirits. - Your presence bathes the entire valley in a warm energy that fuels our health and gives us strength. -

Wait, did my powers work on treefolk? Why did he talk like he did?

Holy cow, if it did, that opened up a big - no, giant - can of worms I needed to explore.

- You feel my presence? -

The oldest of the treefolk, the one IÆd met before, still prostrating on the floor, was the one to speak. - We always have. The energy and radiance through the roots, each step we take, we feel your growing dominion. Even in the depths of winter, we feel and share in the warmth through our rooted feet. -

Wait, is he trying to just suck up to me? Hmm. Anyway, letÆs get down to it.

- Ah. the reason I wish to speak to you is to talk about the dead and the deceased. IÆd like to first understand about cultural norms, where the body of the deceased treefolk is normally split into many parts, some as tools, fertilizer, and some as ornaments. Is this an unbreakable rule, and is there any taboo around giving them to me for my. studies? -

The treefolk chieftains all shared a glance, and then the same elder treefolk raised his head to respond. - ItÆs a cultural practice. Most families will want to keep their deceased family members bodies to assimilate into their own. If you want a body. we would have to provide one without any family members, as I doubt any of ours would part with it. Every bit of a treefolk should be recycled. -

I see. Interesting. - Very well, then. That will have to do. And you can stand up now. YouÆve prostrated long enough. -

- IÆm not sure whether Vice Counsel Laufen has relayed our message previously. - one of the other treefolk chiefs said.

- Oh, what was this about? -

- ItÆs regarding the recent gifts to the children. While the rest of the population benefit from it, we, the treefolk, do not. -

- Ah. - So was this a complaint?

- WeÆre wondering whether we. we can get something more suited for our young saplings. -

Oh. Customer feedback. Now why didnÆt Laufen tell me about it? - When was this message delivered to Vice Counsel Laufen? -

The three chieftains looked at each other. - Uh. last week, perhaps? When she came to deliver a gift for our newest sapling. -

Speaking of treefolk mating and childbirth, they were actually really interesting and different from the rest of the humanoid races, although they also had humanoid - like appearances. There were actually a few ways treefolk mated, and it depended on the male, female, or whether the treefolk was a hermaphrodite, containing the mating organs of both. In short, treefolk retained their own plant - like mating systems yet also incorporated the mating systems of humanoids.

Their available ways of mating included actually having intercourse, a form of pollen - fertilization where the female organs opened up for the male organs to fertilize. Or, oddly, and perhaps unique to treefolk, via third parties, usually an insect or a carrier, like a bee or a butterfly that carried the fertilized pollens from the male organs to the female, who then, if he/she judged the pollens to be suitable, allowed it to fertilize him/her. Apparently, it was taboo for a treefolk to self - fertilize, for the hermaphrodites, but in times of great disaster, it was permitted to keep up the treefolk numbers.

There was also another external variant of mating, in which the female organ produced empty seeds, something like an unfertilized egg, which she could leave in a specified location for any interested male treefolk to leave their seed. Most sub - species of treefolk were able to produce large quantities of such unfertilized eggs. The decision to either go for an external or internal mating variant was a choice of the treefolk, whether the female wanted quantity or quality because internally carried treefolk would emerge much stronger, bigger, and longer lived. If the male or female was strongly magically attuned, internal mating and carrying the baby within the female also had a higher likelihood of passing off the magical talent to the child.

The only plant - like reproduction system not retained by the treefolk was the grafting or cutting methods since the soul couldnÆt be severed in two. Only one part of the body would retain the soul, and the part without the soul would wither away without the sustenance of the soulÆs presence.

So, given the huge variety of ways in which a baby was carried, or the condition of which a new sapling was created, I could see why the humanoid childcare center was not suitable.

I mean, I would have to figure out how to adapt -

Ding.

New subsidiary tree type unlocked: Treefolk Incubation Pods. A subsidiary tree filled with multiple pods, used to incubate and nourish fertilized and germinating external seeds.

New subsidiary tree type unlocked: Treefolk Nursery. Makes sapling - friendly nutrient - rich foods. Can also make special sap for pregnant treefolk mothers or females to boost quality and health of their fetus or eggs.

Uh. Dammit.

I kept forgetting how much the system liked this kind of stuff. I was even betting there were extra points because they were treefolk. Maybe IÆd also get new equipment when I put the treefolk under the biolab.

At least I had something. - Chieftains, IÆll have something for you soon. -

YEAR 78, MONTH 3

- This volcano thing was going to take a lot longer if you donÆt find some other kind of powerup. -

- Huh. -

AlexisÆs modified drone - beetle made the journey to the volcano. Her research tree had a root that transformed into some kind of garage - like structure where the beetles were stored and modified. So that was the first of many bombshells.

- Although your large beetles can take a few punches, the magma golems are way stronger than your large beetles. I estimate you need at least ten upgrades before you get anywhere near defeating them with three large golems. The gap was just too large. If I estimate the golems as level - sixty threats, your large beetles right now are about level thirty - five, and if each research upgrade gives two levels worth of strength, you will easily need ten to fifteen upgrades just to be at equal rank, not considering elemental and type weaknesses. -

I was sad. A tree conquering a volcano. Say it again. A tree conquers a volcano. Man, that just sounds absurd.

- I recommend finding alternatives. Something to breach the weaknesses. Find an elemental type that allows a good counter. Water or cold type? Or even wind. -

I totally didnÆt hear that. I was just too wrapped up in sadness. Maybe my approach was wrong.

What if I was not looking to conquer the volcano, but. absorb it?

Could I terraform the volcano? Alter the surroundings?

- So, as I was saying, magic would help. Think about it, magic - casting beetles. -

- Huh. - Oh, wait, Alexis was talking. - Sorry, could you repeat? I wasnÆt paying attention. -

She sighed. - I mean, you need magic. Or water. AcidÆs not going to work on the magma golems. ItÆs. itÆs just, uh. you know, science? Water. Spells. -

Okaay. But damn, there must be other ways about it. Or would it be better to just focus on one area of the volcano, like a safe zone? - Ah. Any other observations from your probe? - The information I had was from what I could see via my subsidiary trees, but maybe she saw something else.

- Uh. the mana density is quite high, but I canÆt seem to figure out whatÆs wrong with it. ItÆs not a pleasant kind of mana. - Ah, yes, mana. The weird thing that everyoneÆs soul produced, also produced by things like leylines and certain objects. From the bodies I had examined, there were certain colors to each mana, and it seemed mine was primarily blue, which was why it was the first color I unlocked.

The colors, type of mana, and the quality of it had tremendous influence on the way it felt and behaved. In a way, the description by most common mages was that mana was like air. There was stale air, good air, bad air, smelly air, dry air, wet air.

I wondered whether mana took the form of some kind of special atom. What was mana at its smallest unit? And why did the soul produce it? Did the soul maintain some kind of law of energy conservation?

- Hey, hey, if you want to have theoretical discussions, you can do it with me, - Alexis vented. - I like those kinds of topics, too. And seriously, do you have a problem staying focused on any particular topic? Stop hopping to other trains of thought all the time. -

But did they all deserve to grow? Those thoughts were worth exploring. So I did.

- Focus. Back to the volcano. You need magic and the right elements. Do you have anything? The spiders and the beetles were not ideal, obviously, since they were weak to fire. -

Well, other than myself, I couldnÆt think of any.

- So, magic! DoesnÆt have to be pure magic but imagine beetles with magical cannons that shoot water. Or spiders that create a freezing field. Flying beetles that release water like fire rescue planes. Oh, wait. You might not know what that is. But you get the picture? -

- Hmm. -

- Oh, come on, you want this volcano or not? You do it your way, itÆs gonna take a lot longer. -

Ah. Alexis pushed her magic agenda again. - Let me think about it. -

YEAR 78, MONTH 4

The treefolk - specific saps and nutrient foods were super popular, augmenting some of the key challenges treefolk faced during pregnancy. The main thing was, as the pregnancy matured, ideally, they should stay put, their feet firmly rooted to the earth. This allowed them to draw nutrients and mana from the earth to feed the growing fetus within their wooden bodies.

But being stationary for months was not feasible in an environment where non - humans were consistently hunted by others. So, to be safe, they had to constantly migrate and move around to evade their hunters. This led to a nutrient shortage, their bodies compensating through consuming the parentÆs nutrients to feed the fetus and so weakening the parent.

Their children were generally weaker, though the most recent children were in much better shape. No longer having to run and having a relatively stable valley to stay in helped a lot with the quality and overall health of the children. Perhaps more than any other race, they needed stability and a familiar environment to mature properly.

- The treefolkÆs loyalty was probably the highest amongst all the nonhuman races, followed by the centaurs. If we were to admit members into the Valtorn Order, we can create a special group for them. -

- IsnÆt that species - ism? That is the root of future discord. The other races will dislike their special privileges. -

- Is it not a waste to make the most of their abilities? -

- If we go down the path of making the races compete with each other, that will not go well. Right now, New Freeka is dominated by elves, followed by the centaurs. If they start competing, that will further entrench the existing rifts among the races. -

- Why do you care, Master? They were disposable, were they not? - Ivy retorted, and I wondered where she got that angry persona from. Was it from observing people for too long? - All of them are slimy. At least the treefolk arenÆt so slimy because their material demands are different. - Ivy hit level ten a few days ago, and amusingly, her skill was Citizen File , using her constant monitoring of the citizens to build a dossier on the people. It took effort, and a few months to do it, but Ivy had the time.

IÆd gulp if I could. Ivy was right. They were disposable. In the larger scheme of things, loyal servants were more valuable anyway. I should get more loyal servants. Better a loyal servant than one hundred fighters who would stab me in the back.

The Valtorn Order stabilized as the processes around the birth and death and the quasi - military force regained some semblance of structure after my earlier retrenchment exercise.

The new leadership team met in Yura Æs new office in the center courtyard of the Valtorn Order HQ. All rooms were covered with vines and trees, such that I could always monitor them, even the toilets.

The group consisted of Yura , Laufen, Madeus, three captains, two herbalists, two administrators, and a master of ceremonies. The three captains of the Order, the military arm shrunk to only nine hundred strong, were each leaders of a group of three hundred. The two herbalists led about one hundred workers to cultivate and maintain the various herbal gardens and farms around the Valtorn Order and produce herbal medicines and ointments. The two administrators were responsible for treasury and purchases, funds, and payment of salaries, managing an administrative staff of fifty.

The master of ceremonies was a position IÆd wanted to give Wesley, but he declined, claiming he wasnÆt interested in paperwork. So, instead, another priest was roped in to take the role. Somebody had to sort out the planning of the deaths and all the paperwork around them. Almost all of them, except one administrator, were elves, though I had hoped for a bit more variety in the Valtorn leadership.

This was a weekly meeting for everyone to get updates on the plans and matters and was where everyone spoke to me.

- The councilors were not too happy with the retrenchment exercise, Tree Spirit. Many of them complained to the councilors and demanded their positions be reinstated. -

- Tell them they are free to let Yura know they can challenge a beetle to a fight. If they prove themselves more useful in battle than any of my beetles, I will give them their position back, and a small reward. -

The three captains glanced at each other awkwardly.

- In fact, please put up a notice. Let this be known. -

The captain whoÆd brought it up shrugged and nodded. I felt he regretted it. - Ah. -

- The acquisition of more herbs and plant varieties is ongoing, and the peace accords with Salah were recently finalized. That means we will see more movement of noncombatants, especially from the various magic councils of Salah. -

- Watch them carefully. They will be spies. Salah will take this peace to gather information on our true depth. - Well, the truth was I would probably get Ivy to watch them, too. She was getting better at spying on people throughout New Freeka.

- Would it not be New FreekaÆs military to do so? They might think we were taking unnecessary action that might provoke Salah. -

- New FreekaÆs unreliable, and the leaders are. compromised. And if getting caught spying would provoke Salah, I prefer to think of it as a warning. -

- Compromised? Really? Who? - one of the captains asked.

Yura jumped in, - Secret. But the logic is simple enough. Once the leaders saw the beetles, Salah attacked. -

- Ah. - Separately, I turned to Ivy. - Do you have a file on the captains? I feel they were suspicious as well. -

- Yes. I already have some observations. TheyÆve not done anything big so far, but there is some. suspicious activity. One of them, from conversations gathered, have human relatives in Salah, and all three wrote letters, delivered via the merchants to other countries. -

One drawback, the written word was a bit harder to spy on as our visual quality was a bit low - resolution. One of the reasons I wanted the Tree - Eye ability. - Can we get a copy of the letters? -

- Difficult. WeÆll need Yura to do so, but we donÆt have trusted agents in the merchant group, so it will be rather tough to do so discreetly. - Ah, that was something we needed to fix, and the fact that Ivy existed as a tree - mind meant she was my eyes and ears but not my hands and legs.

Meanwhile, the leadership continued with their discussion. Typical leadership mumbo jumbo. Funny how people in positions of power always ended up having discussions about structure and plans.

- Okay, updates. - Yura steered the conversation back to regular matters like finances, hiring, what the plan was for the next week, and updates from the New Freeka High Council (NFHC).

- There is a traveling group of druids. They seek permission to go through our lands. The NFHC has agreed to grant them the right of passage and go about their restoration work. -

- Huh, didnÆt those nomads come here before? -

- A different group. Just keep a lookout for them. -

- Traveling to barren lands and returning greenery, surely there were better uses of their talents, - one of the captains joked, though the mood was a bit more cordial. The earlier banter between the leaders was getting better. Yura Æs Diplomat class really helped put others at ease.

- All you think about is fighting. Everything else is pointless to you. Maybe itÆs part of their class requirement. Some jobs have certain accomplishment barriers. Perhaps druids were like that. - Another captain poked his colleague.

- Do mages have accomplishment quests, Madeus? -

- My mage class doesnÆt. Or, perhaps, not yet. -

Yura looked at the few pieces of paper before him. - Ah, I think we were straying off the agenda again. Anything else? -

- We have some responses to our request to hire adventurers to bring back exotic plants from the faraway continents. The message we got was that they will arrive in a month, and they demand their payment be ready. -

- Yay. - I liked that.

The captains frowned. - Is this the best use of money? -

Yura grinned. - Fun fact, the Tree Spirit gets more powerful with every new type of plant he encounters. So itÆs worth it. -

- Anything else? -

The master of ceremonies raised his hand and nodded. - I have a proposal. The Tree Spirit should have a divine title. -

- A divine title? - almost everyone asked in unison.

- Ah, in various sects and religions, there were often special titles to refer to the minor deities and heroes, something that cemented that person as a divine being. Currently, referring to the Tree Spirit as the Tree Spirit is. clunky and awkward and makes the prayers and ceremonies a bit less. proper as religions tend to be. A divine title was a gesture to recognize Tree SpiritÆs special position in our society. Like how some refer to God as God, capital G. -

Yura scratched his chin. - Are you asking the Tree Spirit for a name or title? -

- Ah, I am thinking. of having the senior leaders group together and do a study on the proper ways to venerate the Tree Spirit. A few of the faithful shared their troubles that the Tree Spirit, as the Tree Spirit, does not differentiate it from the many other tree spirits in the world. The masses, those who pray, must know and be assured their prayers were going to the correct and true Tree Spirit. -

- Ah. thatÆs the kind of thing only a priest will think about. -

- So, perhaps we can spend some time to think of a name -

- A/ . -

The master of ceremonies immediately knelt before the small tree in the center of the room.

- Ah, truly the Tree Spirit is divine for the Tree Spirit already has a divine name. Kneel before A/ , everyone, for we were the first to be graced with his divine title. -

The rest of them looked at each other, probably wondering what the hell this guy was trying to do, but decided to go with the flow that the master of ceremonies created, and so they knelt. Even Yura and Laufen joined in.

- Oh, to the great and mighty protector and watcher of the valley, we offer our prayers and thanks to thee, O mighty and powerful A/ . -

If I could have rubbed my head, I would have. But I really liked the name A/ . I think it was a name deserving to be much more than just the name of a chain of supermarkets.

One of the captains rubbed his head. - Is it pronounced like. Aye - on? Or Aye - yon? -

- I accept both pronunciations. -

Hidden Conditions checks met.

Special skill obtained - Possession of the devoted.

A special familiar contract with a chosen devoted believer. Limited to five at any time.

YEAR 78, MONTH 5

Things were rather quiet in New Freeka and the valley, and I thought that was a good thing.

I needed a different approach if I wanted to hold the volcano. The inner volcano was filled with giant golems, who were clearly still leagues ahead of the large beetles. If the location was bad, the golems could easily hold off my beetle horde like a wall made of lava. So, while the various research continued, I thought of other methods. Alexis was right. Beetles were a bad matchup, even if it would annoy Horns.

Anyway, letÆs talk about New Freeka. This month, I received a magical cactus, some kind of coconut variant, and a gourd - shaped fruit, which was often used to store foods due to its magical preservation qualities, so that went into the biolab.

Skills acquired.

Cactus defense system.

New crop type acquired.

Milk coconut and brownwood gourds.

Subsidiary tree limit increased.

Other than that, for the Valtorn Order, things were pretty much the same. Training, scouting, purchasing, and trading, and the birth and death rituals continued. The populace of New Freeka adapted to the new routine, and a new set of uniformed group, the Valtorn Order, in town. Yura and the team decided on a dark brown color, like tree barks, as the Valtorn OrderÆs color. New Freeka used blue.

The druids came. They didnÆt seem too interested in the valley, and it seemed they had some kind of messiah complex that drove them to seek out sick trees and damaged environments, so their stop in New Freeka was a brief one, just to resupply.

It was peaceful. I even managed to successfully protect my ginseng tree and make it last past their first year. And that was nice for a change.

YEAR 78, MONTH 7

- Practice, - Lozanna grumbled. As Yura now had responsibilities in the Valtorn Order, the time he had for Lozanna was significantly reduced. She often sought him out for practice sessions, even in the quarters.

In his place, the captains and men of the Valtorn Order often became Lozanna Æs sparring partners, and in a way, it was good for her.

Lozanna , now level twenty - five, was actually better at the sword than a regular soldier, who was usually only about level twenty to thirty but had their levels dispersed over various skills.

- For a nine - year - old, sheÆs pretty much a genius. - The captains lavished their praise on Lozanna , though she just shrugged. Of course, the captains didnÆt know IÆd easily used four to five hundred essences collected throughout the years to build up her combat sense through Dream Tutor , Power - leveling , Learning Aura , and most recently, training room .

- Perhaps thatÆs the other thing you should be doing. - Alexis was really bored these days. When she wasnÆt using her two probe - beetles, she tried to make conversation with me or everyone else. - Maybe you can train an army of super - warriors. -

- Heh. ItÆs too early to tell how far Lozanna will go. SheÆs currently my test subject to see how effective the abilities are. But if it works, IÆll consider it. -

- You should train more than just Lozanna . You can then compare the differences, perhaps each of the different individuals as your test subjects. Vary them a bit, then you can see what influences their growth and whether there was an actual. limit. -

- YouÆve been thinking about this kind of thing, havenÆt you? -

- IÆm a research spirit floating around, stuck to my tree. WhatÆs there to do other than tinker with my lab equipment and think about such things? Was it wrong? -

- Ah. no, thatÆs not what I meant. -

- Then what do you mean? -

- You know what? I think you have a point. I agree I should have a few test subjects to see how the training thing works and fully explore the limits of these people. -

Of course, that meant IÆd need to find ways to consolidate and upgrade all my training - related skills, such that I could distribute the resources to more people other than Lozanna alone. Part of the reason why I focused only on Lozanna was because I had no idea how effective my abilities were and how they actually affected Lozanna Æs growth, so I just went all in. The problem with Dream Tutor and Learning Aura was that the effects were small, but they accumulated over a long period of time. It wasnÆt as if Lozanna became super amazing the next day, and IÆd been using Dream Tutor on her since she was. five? Maybe four. I forgot.

- Since sheÆs got that special skill, well, use your seeds as well. IÆm really eager to know what they do. -

- Huh, IÆm confused now. Should I focus on Lozanna or train more people? -

- Both! You can focus on Lozanna since sheÆs got that unique skill, but you do need other people as a base case. ItÆs really basic. You canÆt draw conclusions on a sample of one. More samples, more robust conclusions! So diversify! Expand your sample size! -

- You know, the validity of your methods was distorted by skills and abilities. -

- Those were outliers and variables we can adjust for. ThatÆs normal! - I thought Alexis spoke a lot like a scientist, and I thought it was part of the job.

- Meela, do you think sheÆs talking like a scientist? -

- She talks like that all the time. ItÆs normal. -

- Hey! -

- But IÆm not disputing the essence of your argument, and I agree with the idea of having more. test subjects. Well, itÆs time for me to get Laufen to work on the orphanage. -

- Wait. YouÆre experimenting with orphans? - Alexis clearly didnÆt like that.

- Who else do I experiment on? Do you see any other young children I can run some tests on? You think the rest of the New Freekans are willing to give me young children to test on? -

- IÆd like to say itÆs ethically wrong to use your abilities on young children who were unable to decide and give consent. You know what? Testing on young children now feels eerily similar to trying to train orphans into war machines, so I take back my earlier statement. Please, donÆt test on young children. -

- This was a magical world, and frankly, I am not doing them any harm. When you feed a child a supplement, you want them to grow strong, but did the child give consent? When you forced him to eat his bitter medicine, did he give consent? So long as your intent was to help them, I think itÆs fine. And with orphans, as the Valtorn Order as the caretaker and guardian, we were empowered to make decisions on their behalf. -

Meela tried to break up the argument by butting in, - Alex, think positively! Maybe TreeTree can make Batman! ThatÆd be cool. I think a lot of superheroes were orphans or lost their parents. Superman, too! So I think itÆs a good idea. You wonÆt abuse them, right? Right? -

Alexis facepalmed. - I donÆt think TreeTree knows who Batman is. -

Uh, I did, but I kept my mouth shut. - Well, no permanent pain, I suppose. - Frankly, I didnÆt know. There was no progress without pain.

- Hmm. -

YEAR 78, MONTH 8

The Valtorn OrderÆs Orphanage for young children was up and running. All we needed was a building where we could build rooms and then employ people to take care of the kids. As a rule, I insisted the children we took in were less than twelve years old. Those older were able to find work and could live on their own in this world. For humans, thirteen was quite a normal age to start holding some kind of semi - permanent job, either as an apprentice or some kind of live - in worker, and this was also seen in the other non - humans.

In New Freeka, connected to the orphanageÆs large building were a few subsidiary trees, two of which were training rooms for teaching and sparring. There would be quite a lot of young orphans in this world, after all. With so much war and slaughter going on, it was common that families were broken. Anyway, my intention was to train these orphans, those willing, into warriors for the Valtorn Order, so the remaining Order soldiers regularly came to give the young kids simple lessons. In a way, it acted as a feeder into the future Valtorn Order guards.

For monitoring and tracking, one of the subsidiary trees was a biolab with multiple pods. The decor was intentionally bare, and I had the herbalist use it as a medicinal room to mask the true intent of the pods, which was to take magical snapshots of these orphans progress over the years.

Feedback in terms of the orphanage was mixed, even from the orphans themselves. Many of them were living in empty, abandoned homes, some taken in by the people of New Freeka. Some orphans resisted the structure and rules that an orphanage had and preferred to continue living on their own.

Well, my order to Laufen was: DonÆt force the kids. If they wanted to live on their own and thought they knew better, then go ahead. Either the world would teach them a lesson or they would truly show their mettle.

Out of the townÆs population of fifty thousand or so elves, dwarves, and centaurs, about five hundred to a thousand were young orphan children, but not all wanted to stay in this new set of quarters, so it was often the really young ones. There were also families who couldnÆt, or were unable to, raise their children, so they surrendered them to the orphanage.

Oh, well. I wasnÆt going to be the morality police, so whatever men and women chose to do with their lives, that was their problem. IÆd take the kids, and IÆd use them.

The good thing was it put some jobs on the table as the orphanage hired a lot of workers to cook, to care for the orphans, and to teach, and some retired elderly men also helped out as trainers.

The thing about old people in a world with great and frequent destruction was often that they were quite high leveled. Being on the run for decades must have given them a lot of survival - related skills and actual skills . Either they were good at fighting, good at running and hiding, or good at improvising and making the most of what little they had.

Ah, well, I guessed there had to be some truth to the old people being awesome trope after all.

- Eat this. - Lozanna stared at the green fruit right in front of her. She picked it up with her tiny hands and shook it.

- It doesnÆt look ripe. -

- ItÆs not meant to be ripe. Eat it. - It was a green fruit, made out of the passive seed spark of brilliance . Small, the size of a grape, it was lime green, and from my point of view, it had a faint emerald glow to it. It was my first time creating a fruit out of the seeds.

- Uh. okay. - She started to chew on the small fruit.

She walked a few steps, chewing.

- Okay, I ate it. It tastes sour, but itÆs not horrible. Was this some kind of new fruit you want us to sell, TreeTree? -

- No. ItÆs a special fruit. Just for you. -

- Huh. If itÆs a special fruit, shouldnÆt it be sweet and really yummy? ItÆs quite sour, and I can still taste the bitterness on my tongue. - Lozanna downed a cup of water, probably hoping to wash away the taste.

- Not all things in life were meant to be sweet, my dear Lozanna . -

- Is that some kind of word of wisdom I should remember? -

- Perhaps. -

- Is this why you called me here, TreeTree? -

- Not just this. - If I could smile, I would have. - Lozanna , would you like a special familiar contract? -

Lozanna immediately nodded. - Yeah, sure. Special in a good way, right? -

- Yes. -

Lozanna has accepted the special familiar contract. 50 star mana consumed. 1 star mana will be consumed per month.

Star mana. I had three hundred at the moment. That was the maximum number of star mana storage organs I had, and with the current maximum number of star leaves, I produced thirty star mana a month.

- Oh, wow. Was this like Uncle Yura Æs Bamboo? - She activated the familiar, and then two large twisting roots emerged from her body. They transformed into a wooden sword and shield, Lozanna Æs current favorite fighting combination. - Whoa, it responded to me! Can you hear it, TreeTree? -

- I canÆt. - Well, the familiar didnÆt have an artificial soul, but it probably had a kind of programming to it, like an. animal?

- Well, it just says sword and shield mode. - Lozanna grinned. - But itÆs cool. I can tell it things in my head! - The wooden sword transformed into a whip.

Huh. That was pretty cool.

- And it can change shape! - Lozanna tried out the whip, and it worked like a rope, allowing her to pull herself forward. - I can use this to swing from branch to branch, too! Like the monkeys! -

- DonÆt let your mom see that. - The idea of a young girl swinging around like Tarzan was probably going to make Laufen have a headache.

- Ah, yes. Ah, yes. Sorry, I got excited. - The two roots could transform into various shapes, but there were certain limits to the size and length. - ItÆs kinda cool that they donÆt drain my mana as much as the normal familiar, too! -

Ah, I supposed that was the benefit: stronger, more flexible, but costing less. I guessed the star mana I gave it supported it.

- Thank you, TreeTree. This was nice. -

- Good. Let me know if you get any skill notifications tomorrow. -

- Okay! - Well, the next day. - Erm. I didnÆt get a new skill, but one of my skills transformed. -

- Oh, which one? -

- ItÆs the Blessed by a soul tree . ItÆs now Blessed by a soul tree û advanced . -

- Huh. - Well, that was amusing. Now, she was even more compatible with my abilities. I hoped she didnÆt eventually transform into a tree.

- The cool thing is the roots were a bit longer and bigger now. I think it makes my familiar stronger! - I see, so the special familiarÆs effects are going to be less impressive on the other guys. Now I wanted to know whether I could fuse this special familiar with an artificial soul.

Lozanna showed off her slightly bigger sword and shield.

- IÆm gonna go practice. DonÆt tell Mom IÆm in the forest. -

Lozanna tried to be a monkey, and she used two roots like vines to swing from tree to tree, but only with the bigger trees since the smaller ones didnÆt have enough clearance.

Oh, dear, what have I done?

YEAR 78, MONTH 10

Demon king preparation status check.

The demon king appeared Year 70, Month 4.

The demon king died about five years ago, around Year 73, Month 3, Week 2.

Going by the ten - year gap between demon kings, that meant I should have had at least five years left. Five years was a good amount of time, but halfway there, it was time to discuss the matter again.

- The next demon king should be about five years away. Though we wonÆt know for certain, thatÆs the approximate time range. What should we do? - The audience was me, my tree - minds, Horns, Alexis, and Meela. IÆd have another discussion with the Valtorn peeps next time.

- It depends on the type of power the demon king has. - Alexis thought about my question.

- We wonÆt know until he appears, and weÆll be running out of time if thatÆs the case. What are the normal, common powers a demon king would have? - I asked.

- Extensive destruction abilities and demonic hordes? - she responded.

- So, okay, how do we prepare for that? -

- Hide? There is really no way we can fight back unless we have the powers of the heroes, and running isnÆt an option, - Meela wondered aloud.

- Agree, hide. So that means we need to figure out a way to make use of the tunnels and the abandoned dungeon as some kind of shelter and build barricades and strong gates, - I said.

- Uh, I think thatÆs missing the point, TreeTree. YouÆre massive. You canÆt hide, - Alexis said.

- ThatÆs fine, but itÆs more for everyone else around me. I think I can take whatever the demon kingÆs horde can throw at me. except the demon king himself, - I answered.

- So what were you going to do if the demon king comes for you? - the girls asked.

- WeÆll think about it, then. For now, letÆs work on the plan to hide. -

- How about the ThreeTree of Mana ? We canÆt hide that. - It was Dimitree who brought up his part of the world. - If necessary, we need to build a massive wall around it, one that even the demon king canÆt destroy. -

- ThatÆs impossible. If there is one thing the demon king doesnÆt lack, itÆs destructive firepower. -

- The elves say there were other trees whoÆve managed to somehow make their forests disappear. How do we do that? -

- ThatÆs hiding. And, well, thatÆs a good point. If there was an ability to temporarily warp the valley into pocketspace, thatÆll help. -

I had no skills anywhere near that level, though I supposed secret hideout was like a slow step on that path? Perhaps someday, IÆd get the ability to create a massive secret hideout that included myself in it. Though that was probably going to make my mind melt because the secret hideout was inside me, but I was inside the secret hideout. So, what was inside what?

- CanÆt the demon king detect such abilities? Seems kinda odd that an incredibly powerful monster like itself would allow such things to happen. - I also wondered, which led to the next question. - Are demon kings. sentient? -

- I have no idea. They have a certain kind of intelligence, but sentient? No one has ever communicated with it, - the two former heroes answered.

YEAR 78, MONTH 12

Winter.

With the volcano project hitting a slow spot, I decided to try other projects.

As I tapped the Valtorn OrderÆs growing network of contacts, I was aware of three faraway sites I wanted to explore.

Farther north, movements of the ground revealed a previously covered massive hole that went really, really deep. It was as if somebody dug a hole vertically. It was currently spitting out many different kinds of snake monsters and snake - like creatures, which was why I suspected it likely contained some kind of magical source. That said, my data was quite lacking. It was currently being extensively attacked by adventurers, as the snake hide seemed to fetch good money, so there were plenty of adventurers trying to make their way down. Travel time by beetle was three days.

The second was one of the regions near the Nung - Salah border. There were a few dungeon - like areas. There was no detected leyline, but there were still a lot of monsters appearing in that area. As it was rather sparsely populated and heavily damaged from all the battles, there wasnÆt much adventurer attention compared to the snake - hole, but the presence of multiple dungeon entrances and unusual monster hinted at a dungeon. If so, I wanted the core. Travel time by beetles was three days.

The third site was deep into one of the nearby kingdomÆs territories: a lake that seemed to be inhabited by magical beasts and strange, unusual plants. Rumored magical. Five days away.

My first choice was the one with the potential leyline, but that meant I had to deal with the adventurers. Still, a leyline was too good to miss out, so I was going to start my subsidiary tree expansion at that location.

The dungeon - like areas, if I decided to attempt those, would be for the cores. It was a good reward financially, and IÆd like to study cores in much more detail. Perhaps there were variations of cores between dungeons. If a core was sentient, or had the potential to be, I would like to attempt using an artificial soul on one. My suspicions were that they would work similar to a root - brain complex, and that would be something fun to test out.

The drawback was the active war zone. Salah and New Freeka were at peace, but the Nung - Takde and Salah War was still ongoing, with the situation at a stalemate. It seemed they were periodically fighting battles on a few fronts, though both sides werenÆt trying anything bold to end the war. It was an odd state, skirmishes here and there even though trade routes had been strangely re - opened. I wanted to scout out the location, so I planned to have beetles in the location, just to find out where the dungeons were.

As for the lake, it didnÆt seem to be that much of a problem, just far away. New types of plants were always welcome - magical and potentially rare plants even more so - and this seemed more appropriate for a small strike force. Send the guys in, get the strange plants, and get out. Simple, suitable for a covert strike team of beetles.

- I want to go. -

- Huh? -

- Take my probe - etle there. -

- Is that a name you came up with? - It sounded like something you stuck up an arse. What do they call that again? Is it an endoscopy? Oh, wait. It sounds like probiotics! The kind of weird bacteria shit those multi - level marketers try to sell!

- It sounds better than scout beetle, doesnÆt it? -

- Which one? -

- I have two probe - etles. I want to see the lake and the giant hole in the ground. -

- Fine. -

- Yay. Meela, do you wanna go? You should totally consider fusing with one of the beetles, then we both can still go travel. You can be my probeÆs bodyguard! -

- Wait, you can see through the probes? -

- Uh, yeah. ItÆs called a probe, right? Of course I can see through the probe. -

- I donÆt want to be a beetle. ThatÆs disgusting. - Meela frowned. - IÆd rather be a tree. -

- I take offense to that statement, - Horns chimed in.

- Aww, come on. We finally get to do some traveling! -

- I rather like the relative peace and safety here, - Meela said. - I might get attacked as a beetle, and people will hate me. I canÆt cope with that! -

- Meela, thatÆs a lie and you know it. -

The two girls argued, but it was a rather friendly spat, so I ignored them.

One of the merchants brought garlic and ginger today. They were apparently really popular with nobility for cooking.

Crop variety - Garlic added. You can now produce essences of garlic and garlic - flavored woods, fruits, and saps.

Crop variety - Ginger added. You can now produce essences of ginger and ginger - flavored woods, fruits, and saps.

Ooh, that was gonna make some people stink. I wondered whether they had stinky fruits in this world like durians. They should, right?

But you know, this recent interest in garlic and ginger gave me an idea. I had the ability to produce fruits, vegetables, and herbs. What if I were to set up a market and sell my produce? Or, even better, set up a restaurant? I wasnÆt sure how many restaurants they had in New Freeka, but certainly, if I had the ability to procure and produce unique types of vegetables and fruits, that would give me a unique selling point!

I could make special ginger - ginseng soup. Or fried potatoes with garlic, herbs, and spices.

- A restaurant? You need cooks, though. A chef! - Meela asked.

- But it could work! - I repeated. - You girls know any recipes from where you were from? - All I knew was how to cook instant noodles with eggs.

- Uh. I might. But honestly. - Meela said.

- If I get an ability to create a Tree - kitchen or Res - Treerant , IÆll fuse you to it. -

- Does that mean IÆll be stuck in a cooking game forever? - Meela seemed frightened by the prospect. Oh, wait. Did they not know I could reassign them because their souls were stronger than the artificial souls?

- I think a beetle is still better. -

- But a cooking tree sounds like an appealing idea at least. It could even end up a case where I could be the spirit that runs a hotel and restaurant. ItÆs like those cooking simulator games! - Meela laughed.

Alexis looked a bit concerned. - Meela, were you sure you want to be a. - Her dreams of traveling with a beetle bodyguard was clearly fading away.

- A hotelier! Master chef! -

- Wait. YouÆre not serious. - Alexis facepalmed, only she was a spirit, so all she could do was soundlessly smack herself with her ethereal hands.

- Maybe one of your subsidiary trees with a room. I can probably acquire the job as chef and innkeeper . -

Alexis looked horrified. - Meela, if you fuse with a tree, you canÆt get job levels. Job levels are for humanoids only! My skills, so far, are all because my creature - type was research tree spirit. So, no! -

- Eh. TreeTree, can you make a tree decorated with multiple hotel - like rooms, kitchen, dining, and cafe area? -

- I - I can try. - Huh, forcefully decorating a tree such that I get a different tree type. ThatÆs like the playroom and training room. It might just work.

- Okay, TreeTree, IÆve decided on my career path! If you can make one where I get the right type, then IÆll fuse with it, - Meela said.

- You serious? - Alexis flew up and down. - You wonÆt even know if there were tourists. We have no data on tourism and travel traffic! How do you know itÆll work out? How many people even eat out? -

- WhatÆs the worst that can happen? IÆm a tree! ItÆs not like IÆll starve to death if the hotel and restaurant fail. -

- Meela! - Alexis shouted.

- ItÆll be fine, Alexis. Of all the options offered to me, this actually seems like fun! Chef and hotelier! ThatÆs a whole lot more interesting than looking at a lab all day. I could even open branches! Hotel - tree branches! Get it? I could be a moving tree hotel. Or a popup store! The wandering treehotel - restaurant! Maybe even add a convenience store! -

Alexis slams her head into the trunk of her biolab. It didnÆt really hurt her.

- If trees can move, then I could be a coconut hotel and restaurant tree by the beach! -

Hey, thatÆs an interesting idea. Giant treants but actually a walking hotel.

- TreeTree, can I name my hotel and restaurant? I can, right? -

- Uh, sure. - Hey, Meela wanted to be useful, and if naming rights was all she wanted.

- IÆm gonna call the hotel the Meela! And the restaurant the Fried Mee! And if there is a cafe, itÆs gonna be the Cafe Meelatte. Oh, TreeTree, you should totally get coffee beans. -

Alexis smacked her face into the trunk multiple times. I was sure she was just doing it to vent her frustration with MeelaÆs insane choices.

- Alexis, you can name your lab, too. IÆll give you an idea. You can name it A - Lab - is. ItÆs like your name, but with a lab in it. Or Labalex. ThatÆs cool, too. -

YEAR 79, MONTH 1

Roots, the subterranean network of trees. Through them, I was connected to the tens of thousands of trees within my valley and beyond.

These roots, they covered vast lands, serving as the forestÆs backbone, carrying information, minerals, essences, and mana. These roots went through many kinds of soil, so they picked up the subtle shifts of the mineral composition and - a feature of my various subsidiary trees - acted like little sensors, collecting measurements.

When it rained, when it snowed, when the earth shook a little, the roots and subsidiary trees all collected data. Data that my root - brains, Trevor, Dimitree, and Ivy fed on. Vibrations, humidity, magic. Together, all these sensors formed a vast array, so we could now triangulate the sources of tremors and unusual magics to determine direction.

Some trees in the distance would feel it first, a tug, a pull. Then, later, more trees picked up on the tremor.

An earthquake. A minor one. Even the volcano gave out little warning signs, the small tremors before it started to erupt, when part of the volcano spat out lava. This ability could have saved more beetles if weÆd had it a bit earlier.

It was TrevorÆs newest skill addition.

Tree - angulation

Crunching all the data, telling me whatÆs happening in a distant location without actually being there.

- If we had magic sensors. - Alexis was about to start with her usual marketing of magic labs.

- LetÆs start material labs first. I understand thatÆs a prerequisite to the development of magic labs? -

- Ah. erm. yes. We would need to have the ability to analyze materials and develop mana - sensitive materials, then magical labs. -

- So letÆs do it. What do I need to get to material labs? Once we have that, IÆd like to analyze that dismantled airship again. -

- What? Really? -

- Yes. IÆve decided to get magic sensors. I imagine that would be very useful if we had another case of that super - blizzard. -

Alexis nodded. - Ah. yes. so, material research first? -

- Yes. Get to it. -

- Sure. - Alexis looked awkward, floating around, one part of her happy, yet another part of her quite confused. - What made you change your mind? -

- Am I changing my mind? I just wanted more time to mull over whether thatÆs the right direction for us. -

Alexis looked like she was about to bark some kind of retort before she seemed to realize something. - Do tree spirits normally take so long to think? -

- Hmm. No. -

- Well, it makes sense since that was a common kind of myth associated with tree - people that they tend to be sluggish and take forever to decide. - Alexis was mostly talking to herself. - ItÆs like that council of trees in Lord of the Rings. Took them forever to decide, didnÆt they? -

Huh. Was she complaining that I took too long to decide? But at least I did decide, right?

- Ah, never mind. Starting material testing and tree - lab varieties. -

Eye - Tree Stage I research option unlocked - 2 months remaining.

Beetle - anti - magma armors stage 2 û completed.

Beetle - anti - magma armors stage 3 - 3 months remaining.

Tree - volcanic adaptation stage 3 - 2 months remaining.

Roots - Volcanic mineral harvesting - stage 1 û completed.

Roots - Volcanic mineral harvesting - stage 2 û completed.

Roots - Volcanic mineral processing - stage 1 - 5 months remaining.

Materials testing - stage 1 - 3 months.

Tree - lab varieties - stage 1 - 12 months.

Research took longer as IÆd predicted earlier. Magic was necessary, and though I had to take precautions on who and what got access, I was starting to lean on the side that it was an eventual step IÆd have to take, one way or another. I couldnÆt face the threats this world had with one hand behind my back.

A necessary risk.

I would have a long conversation with both Meela and Alexis about magic and the sort I would give them access to. Though, with Meela, I had less ability to control her. My hope was that they would be able to contribute to the defense against the next demon king as they had more experience in magic as heroes.

Meanwhile, New Freeka had a small boom in terms of growth. The era of peace and the reputation of stable, secure food supplies attracted more refugees, even from other nations, not just Salah. It was a busy time for the council of New Freeka, and theyÆd been hard at work to expand their town premises and prepare new farmlands. More people, more food, and more homes meant public services needed to be expanded. Of course, there was a need for refugees to buy their way to public services, such as the right to use some of the new housing.

At the same time, there had been more focus on security and screening, so the NFHC hired the laid - off soldiers to work as guards. Ivy said some of the councilmen felt a need to bolster their forces now that they were actively threatened by the presence of the Valtorn Order as a competing political power, what with Yura and the Valtorn OrderÆs secure, legally protected position.

A faction in the council emerged that wanted to assert independence from the OrderÆs growing influence, and this faction somehow managed to coerce Yvon, such that she voluntarily resigned from her position as the chairperson of the council. Her position had been tenuous and under scrutiny for some time, as it was an open secret by now that her soul was contracted to me. That led to a whole lot of whispering and rumors about Yvon being compromised.Æ

But to the layperson unfamiliar to the nuances of New Freeka politics, her statement to the public at large sounded voluntary enough.

- IÆm resigning from my post as chairperson of the New Freeka council effective immediately. IÆve led and held this position since New FreekaÆs founding, and finally, after almost five years, I believe this fledgling nation is in safe hands, and I can hand the reins over to someone else and spend time with my son. -

How sweet. Spend time with Roma, who was now almost six years old.

The pressure to counterbalance Yura Æs growing influence meant the person holding New FreekaÆs chairperson role had to be more than just seen as independent. In other words, the chairperson must be seen as a force that stands against the Order, against me.

Frankly, itÆs just silly political struggles. A large faction within the councilmen themselves understood this. After all, they knew I could crush them. So they were left in this uncomfortable situation where they yearned to be the ruling group but acknowledged that, without me, they had nothing to rule.

Anyway, silly, silly things, those jostling for authority. So long as nothing unreasonable happened, IÆd let them be. Ivy had all of them monitored, and retaliation wouldnÆt take much time at all.

- Lady Yvon. - Yura was one of the few she met after her voluntary withdrawal. - I heard the news. Frankly, itÆs disappointing, but the Tree Spirit expected it. -

She laughed. - Hah! Well, thatÆs life. -

Yura shrugged. - So, really, retirement as a mother? -

- Why, do I not look like I have motherly desires? -

It was Yura Æs turn to laugh, and he took a small alcoholic beverage and offered it to Yvon. - Frankly, no. YouÆre the warrior - queen type. -

Yvon sipped the drink. - Well, to be fair, it has some truth. I admit feeling a little jealous that RomaÆs a lot more attached to Eriz than me. All these times IÆve been trying to get this town in order, Eriz has been more like his mother, more than I ever have. So, yes, a bit of it was a desire to make up for what I have failed to do. -

- Really? I really didnÆt see you as the actual mother type, though most of New Freeka regard you as the mother of this city. - Yura laughed, holding up his small cup, and the two cheered softly. They both took a sip.

- Anyway, my timeÆs up. And time management has never been my strong suit. There was never enough time to do right by New Freeka, or by Roma. -

- TimeÆs never enough. It comes with the job. Look at me or Laufen. Both of us are so busy these days we only have a bit of time to spend with Lozanna and the kids. I try to make dinner happen, and at least we still meet up. Lozanna Æs been bugging me for combat practice every time we meet. -

- Oh, yes. I have heard a few captains sing praise of her talent. SheÆs really good for her age. My sonÆs not showing any interest yet, though. -

- Well, that may not be a bad thing. Laufen constantly worries sheÆll injure herself. At least RomaÆs just playing chase or spending time with wooden toys. I just hope Lozanna didnÆt find someone who doesnÆt know how to hold back and injures her in practice. -

- You know, I could offer to spar with Lozanna , - Yvon offered. - Now that I have free time. -

Yura smiled. - I would appreciate that. It will be good for her growth that she fights someone with a different style. -

- So I take it thatÆs a yes? -

- Yes, yes. Please, tell Lozanna youÆre her new sparring partner. -

Yvon nodded. - Great! - By then, their cups were both empty.

Yura leaned forward. - Ah, all of you, can you leave? - The guards nodded, and so they departed, leaving Yura and Yvon alone in the room.

- Huh. Something important? -

- Yes. IÆll cut to the chase, really. ItÆs about Roma. Was he related to the royalty? -

- Damn. The Tree Spirit saw through that, too? - YvonÆs fist smacked her other palm, and Yura just shrugged at her statement.

- Does the Kingdom of Salah know about it? -

- I sure hope not. We forged a fake marriage arrangement with one of GalenÆs knights, one of the other elves. It also helps that Roma doesnÆt manifest any of the human traits yet, so no one will know whether heÆs part - human until heÆs much older. -

- But he will. ItÆs only a matter of time before he asks about his own heritage. How many know of this? -

- Maybe ten? -

- That is too many. Where are the ten? -

- I - I donÆt know. -

- In which case, you better start preparing Roma. If youÆre lucky, heÆll be forgotten by the kingdom as just one of the many bastards the royals have. If not, there is going to be a group out for his head. -

- Well, now that I have some free time, it looks like I should get started on his practice. -

Yura nodded. - You should. He needs the ability to protect himself. YouÆre good, but you wonÆt be able to stop all of them. -

- Can I count on you to protect him? -

Yura paused and shrugged. - Maybe. -

Yvon smiled weakly. - Ah, well. -

- If youÆre going to start preparing him, then have him practice with Lozanna . I can permit access to the training rooms or use the one near the main tree. -

- I will. Thank you. -

- Take care, Lady Yvon. -

Yvon nodded and left.

Now that the room was empty, Yura leaned back and spoke out loud. It was quite obvious he was talking to me.

- Royalty. As you predicted. -

- ItÆs obvious, isnÆt it? She sent her baby so far away with protectors. If itÆs not royalty, I doubt sheÆd take such precautions. ItÆs such a. cliche. -

- I thought itÆs just a motherly thing to do, to keep your child out of harmÆs way. But IÆm happy she offered to practice with Lozanna . ThatÆll really help me and Lozanna . If only the others would show any interest in learning how to defend and protect themselves. -

- TheyÆll be fine. So long as they remain in the valley, the beetles will look out for them. What do you think about her replacement? -

- Smart, but a little greedy. The position he takes isnÆt one he truly believes in. HeÆs only taking it because it allows him to be in a greater role. I believe heÆs just saying what everyone else wants to say but doesnÆt have the guts to. HeÆs a mouthpiece for the anti - Order faction, so heÆs going to try to stonewall a few of our initiatives. -

- Well, it is normal in politics. The opposing party will try their best to stop us. So long as itÆs not too annoying, let it be. If you run into trouble, let me know, and IÆll crush them. -

Yura nodded. - I figured you would say that. Oh, yeah, my Diplomat and Warrior classes merged last night. ItÆs now Warlord . -

- Sounds like an upgrade. -

- It is. I feel stronger already. Cumulatively, IÆm level eighty! I think itÆs due to your influence. -

- Great. - Well, it was good that Yura was getting even more powerful. All that Power - leveling and Learning Aura helped after all.

He sighed, and it was a loud, long sigh. - TreeTree. I think. I think this was my limit. -

- Huh? -

- I can feel it. Even though my classes merged, I have a sense, a feeling in my chest that this. this is as far as I can go. My body and soul are at its limit of growth. -

- Strange words. DonÆt people grow and gain levels so long as they push themselves, fight monsters, and gain experience? -

- Well, in theory, yes. But other than heroes, most of us plateau at some point. For those who are not so gifted, we experience multiple plateaus. ThatÆs why IÆm worried about Lozanna . She might be doing well now, gaining levels and all, but there is a point where our body and our souls level off. -

I thought Yura had mentioned something similar in the past, but it hadnÆt registered as anything significant.

- We were not born heroes, so we have a limit. They say -

I cut him off. - Rubbish. Are you sure youÆre not just feeling tired? Rather than talk about limits, take a dip in the biolab and let me have a look at whatÆs going on. Come back to the main tree. -

- Ah. -

Yura somewhat reluctantly put himself up for examination.

And first things first, I noticed the arrangement of stones near and around his mana spring. The core of the soul was different from last time. I recalled it looking like a few scattered mounds of rocks, but this time, the mounds were shaped like a proper wall, a bit more like the ranger would do. There was a better structure and organization to the rocks and stones. I supposed it was what the class merger did to the layout of the rocks.

Next, I looked at the mana generation. It was healthy and quite good and didnÆt look like there were any blockages or dark spots that sucked up mana. The spring spewed out mana very well, and the supply of mana and life force was good. Not as much as the heroes, of course, but it was healthy for someone like Yura .

Then I looked at the body, finding it healthy, too. Yura wasnÆt a young man anymore, a middle - aged man by elven standards. Despite that, his body was in good shape, strong and fit. The shores on the body took up all the mana it could offer, and there was no blockage to the mana flow to any part.

Hmm, so why would he feel like this is his limit? Was this something different than mana? I drew on the power of my Soul Forge and channeled it to my main treeÆs biolab pod, hoping to get a better look.

With the Soul Forge Æs power, more data appeared. First, it showed the rate of production of mana from the spring and then the passive mana consumed to sustain each level and skill. It was denoted as two bars, mana produced and consumed.

- Is this the mana weÆre familiar with or another kind of mana? - Alexis asked. SheÆd also been looking at Yura .

Well, as it turned out, it sort of was the normal kind of mana. Each person produced a certain amount of mana, but it was allocated into two pools, active and passive. Active went into the personÆs actual mana pool used to cast spells and activate skills; Passive was directly consumed to sustain the bodyÆs stats, power, and all the other passives. The passive was commonly referred to as the bodyÆs vitality or life force.

It was then the data finally answered the question.

Yura Æs vitality was maxed out. And his bodyÆs consumption of that vitality was as well. Though nothing was wrong with him, he was right to say something felt wrong. It was like a car pushed to the limit, unable to go farther. A car that hit its speed limit.

- Sounds simple enough. Can you tweak the soul such that it produces more vitality and less mana? It sounds like he didnÆt really need that much mana as a warrior. Maybe some of his skills and abilities consume them, but I think a higher level would be better. Or maybe you could just give him an upgrade? I wonder whether you could upgrade souls. -

- ItÆs something I want to think about. There may be other ways to go about it. -

I could tweak the soul, but I needed to be sure it worked. The soul forge, if used incorrectly, could cause great damage.

YEAR 79, MONTH 2

I finally received the skill. We needed to decorate a subsidiary treeÆs customizable rooms with beds, complete with partitions, segregated washrooms, a reception area, and a dining area.

Tree Lodge

A tree with a whole lot more space than it looks! Each tree lodge has ten rooms, a restaurant, a cozy lounge, a reception, and a kitchen, all while looking no bigger than any other tree! Need to hire workers to work.

Limited to five, and each lodge must be a distance away from the other nearest lodge.

Uh, odd. It was the first time a tree skill had a minimum distance requirement. I couldnÆt cram all the tree lodges in one place?

- Meela, I got the skill. I can make you a tree lodge. - Once it was fused with Meela, the slot would free up again. Meela was her own person, and she didnÆt use my tree lodge slot. It was like AlexisÆs own independent biolab - thing, which was now a weird, crazy - looking tree with lots of vials, tubes, and other contraptions. Strange blobs flowed up and down its sides. It was so weird that I had to use beetles to guard it.

- Awesome. I have ideas for names again. Want to hear it? -

- What? -

- Hotel Treevago. - Hey, I knew that joke from the two girls. It made me wonder whether they all come from the same generation as me? Was there a kind of speed difference in time between this world and ours? Because if itÆs the same jokes, it felt like weÆre from the same time period.

Alexis facepalmed. - Meela, thatÆs lame. And it sounds kind of wrong. Like a bad reproductive disease. -

Meela laughed. - I know, itÆs a joke. IÆm probably going to call it something a bit more proper. Perhaps, the Faraway Home - e. -

- ThatÆs not much better! -

- The Palms, then? I think there was a luxury hotel by that name, wasnÆt there? -

- The Palms. but weÆre not at the beach! -

- How about the Pinewood? -

- Oh, okay, the Pinewood sounds better. - Alexis put her spiritual fingers on her chin. She was thinking rather seriously.

- Or the Oakwood. I think that sounds quite classy as a hotel. -

- Meela, you sure you want to be a hotel? -

- Hell yeah. Alexis, stop questioning my decisions. I know what I want to do. -

- Ah, I know you wonÆt change your mind. Fine, fine. YouÆll need to hire workers, and you will need money. And where can you get it? -

- TreeTree, can I get a loan? YouÆre rich, right? IÆll pay you back when I start to make money. -

- Okay. Thirty gold for now. Consider it my investment. -

Alexis smacked her head. - TreeTree, youÆre being awfully generous. -

- Great, thanks, TreeTree! LetÆs totally do this. Uh. but wait. If the soul forge merges me with the tree lodge, does that mean I take the position of the current tree lodge? ThatÆs not a great location. I would prefer one right in New Freeka! -

- Ah. hmm. - I mentally connected to the soul forge, and then a little prompt appeared. Alexis and the tree - minds didnÆt have this issue since they were located right next to me, so after the merging was complete, I could just spawn them there. But New Freeka was outside the range of the soul forge, so I had to use the Carrier Drone.

Carrier Drone. After a soul is merged with an object, skill, or person, it can choose to become a deployable egg. The carrier drone will then carry the egg within it to the desired location, where it will spawn into the merged structure! But beware, the carrier drone is vulnerable, and destruction means death to the cargo as well.

- Once again, the system to the rescue. - A little too convenient but, hey, that was life.

So I initiated the soul forge. MeelaÆs soul left my soul realm and went into the forge, together with the tree lodge, which melted into a greenish liquid. The soul forge then spun the two together. MeelaÆs soul took the form of a white light, and together with the greenish liquid, it mixed into a mild green light.

Lightning struck at the branches of the forge tree, making an electrical connection to the heavens above. It periodically pulsed, and the thickness of the lightning increased.

The spinning within the forge sped up intensely as more power and mana were drawn through the roots. Activating a soul forge resulted in a lot of mana and energy flowing through the roots, especially from the leyline. It felt like having a whole lot of water flowing, spinning around me, like I was stuck in a whirlpool.

Zap!

One large lightning bolt struck the forge tree, and then it was complete. The merging was done.

A small greenish egg appeared from the forge tree, containing a sleeping Meela as a hotel - spirit - tree.

A drone beetle appeared, its hard shell opening to reveal something resembling a small but very long limb. It lifted a small egg the size of a dog (relatively) and placed it in a compartment on its body. Then the shell closed.

- Wow. It even has a little storage space. -

I commanded a dozen beetles to quickly escort the drone to the marked place in New Freeka, a place Meela chose beforehand, where she wanted the hotel to be. It was nighttime, and Yura had already made arrangements for the beetles to enter the town. Once the carrier drone arrived safely, the drone beetle dug itself into the ground and started to. melt?

ItÆs melting? The body of the carrier and the egg liquefied into a greenish goo, and it seeped into the ground.

- Whoa. - Alexis was quite amused by it. - Magic? -

- I - I think so? - Well, I had no idea. I didnÆt know how the deployment worked, either.

It was actually an empty plot of land, owned by the Order, and now a wall appeared around that plot of land. The ground expanded, inflating upward but still entirely covered in earth.

It continued inflating, and the bulging earth took on the shape of a cuboid block made of dirt and roots. It was like somebody took a hardened cube of dirt filled with roots and placed it where the empty spot once was.

Then, suddenly, a sign appeared on that large mound, on the frontage that faced the townÆs streets.

Under Construction. Grand Opening Soon!

- Meela, you there? - Alexis asked, a little worried. Meela was her only friend.

- Yes, but IÆm very busy! - Meela replied. - IÆll let you know when IÆm done! I got tons of options before this thing opens! -

And Meela vanished, merging into the wooden block, and she didnÆt speak a word for the rest of the month.

The odd mound of earth that strangely managed to remain cube - shaped drew a whole lot of curious onlookers, but most people didnÆt think about it too deeply. Just one of those strange things that happened in a world with magic: - Oh, look at that strange earth - block. Must be some magical shit happening in the Valtorn Order again. - Compared to trees that spit fire, relatively mild as weird things went.

- SheÆs busy in there. - There was some kind of noise coming from that wooden block. I thought it sounded a bit like construction work, but it was a tree - structure. There would be no actual construction going on. Maybe it was just some kind of sound effect.

- Running a hotel isnÆt going to be easy, and after lazing around for so long, itÆll take some time before she gets the hang of it. - Aww, Alexis was worried. - Hey, take your time, all right? Yell if you need help. IÆll try to help out. -

Meela didnÆt reply. The noise grew louder.

Alexis sulked. - Meela, youÆre okay, right? -

- SheÆs in there. I can feel it. Just give her space. -

- Okay. Meela, let me know if you need anything, all right? -

Meela didnÆt respond, but I thought the message got through. She said it so many times she was almost nagging.

- Is it something youÆre working on, TreeTree? - IÆd told Yura to set aside that plot of land for me, but I didnÆt really tell him what exactly itÆd be, so now that there was a cube of dirt there, he had to ask.

- Sort of. ItÆs going to be a project by Meela. -

- Meela? Tero? - Oh, wait. Yura didnÆt know about MeelaÆs soul. Even when he was in front of AlexisÆs biolab, all he saw was a glowing blob and not AlexisÆs ethereal form. So he hadnÆt spoken to them at all.

Come to think of it, nobody knew about Alexis and MeelaÆs second life as a soul.

Now, I hoped they didnÆt accidentally expose themselves as former heroes.

YEAR 79, MONTH 4

Oakwood Hotel was finally ready to open for business!

MeelaÆs block of wood revealed itself to be a mountain wooden - lodge - like structure, the logs usually making up the lodge still part of a large living tree that formed MeelaÆs combined body. She was the lodge itself, a living structure, and her present appearance, which Meela said was a cosmetic choice. She described it as playing in a sandbox, a game where she could choose the decor of everything. I couldnÆt help feeling like it was some kind of mobile game that commuters loved to play, to earn points, unlock decors.

- Inside, fifteen rooms! - Meela beamed. She took the form of a treefolk - ish creature within the hotel, her legs constantly melding and merging with the floor itself. This form somewhat resembled her human self, but her skin color and texture were that of walnut - colored wooden bark.

- YouÆve got a physical body! - Alexis was most impressed, probably because she unfortunately took the form of a ghost surrounded by levitating vials, tiny petri dishes, and other similar lab equipment.

- Cool, right? IÆm like a treefolk, only. well, I canÆt step more than ten feet away from the hotel. - Unlike Alexis, whoÆd been flying around the entire valley, occasionally scaring some of the townspeople who saw her glowing blob.

- Ah, donÆt worry about it. IÆm sure itÆs a level thing like me. I was stuck to the biolab at lower levels, but now that IÆm level thirty - four, I can travel quite far! Or ask TreeTree to help! The range limitation doesnÆt work if you tap into TreeTreeÆs Soul Realm . But IÆm not sure whether thatÆs because IÆm soul - contracted to him, though. -

It was then the wisp pulled me into the soul realm.

Ah, I may have forgotten to explain this. A tree spirit had the ability to share and connect souls together, and it was that ability that allowed all the souls a platform to speak and interact, and through it, they could see what I see. The Soul Realm was that platform, and it was independent of where their physical locations were. I believed the locals referred to it like being in a mailing group.Æ

Well, I knew they could see what I could see, but I supposed it didnÆt occur to me to wonder why Alexis, Horns, or Bamboo were able to share their thoughts while they were out there traveling. I supposed it was like a video conference facility for souls.

- Do you still have the skill? The Heroic Meld ? Did you see your status? - AlexisÆs spiritual body floated over MeelaÆs little wooden lodge, exploring the rooms. Meela had spent a lot of time arranging the decor. It was rather. cozy?

- Nah, almost all my skills are gone, and I no longer have the Hero job. IÆm level one all over again. All I have left is GoddessÆs Blessings . - Meela shrugged. She had a wooden body to properly do so now.

- I was wondering whether our circumstances would be different, but it looks like death removes all our skills. -

- Well, I really donÆt mind starting over. IÆll get a ton of skills running this hotel. IÆm gonna be awesome! - Meela smiled and walked around. - Besides, now that IÆm restarting, IÆm better able to think through my levels and skills. -

- Good luck, Meela. Hope you donÆt get strange skills like Compendium of Research Failures and Emergency Shutdown . -

- What were you looking at that the system made you get a skill like Emergency Shutdown ? Were you trying to clone dinosaurs? -

- A biolab of giant dinosaurs. - Alexis wasnÆt insulted. Rather, she rubbed her spiritual chin.

It was MeelaÆs turn to shake her new tree - head. - Oh, no. I gave you an idea. -

- We have giant beetles. Dinosaurs are just giant lizards or giant birds. -

- I like that idea, - I chipped in.

- You know what dinosaurs are? -

- Uh. didnÆt you say giant lizards or birds? -

- Oh, yes. Yes, I did say that. Never mind me, Meela. HowÆs the hotel? -

- ItÆs a lodge at the moment. I think there is going to be an upgrade at level thirty. Strangely, I seem to be able to see what sort of upgrades to the lodge are available between now until level thirty. -

- How come? -

- I have no idea. - Meela shrugged. - But I need to start recruiting workers to man the kitchen, the reception, and the restaurant. IÆm planning to hire treefolk to complete the feel of the lodge. An inn by the treefolk. TreeTree, is that something you can help me with? Ask perhaps Yura or Laufen to put out a recruitment notice? -

- Sure. YouÆll need to give a lot more details, though, like. whatÆs your pay and working hours like? -

- Oh. Can I talk to someone? Maybe some of the locals? -

- IÆll ask Yura to come see you. Also, are you still going to call yourself Meela, or are you going with another name? -

Meela paused in a thinking pose. - Good point. Should I still call myself Meela, and would that get me in trouble? -

- Depends on what you want to achieve. Do you want people to know you were once a hero? That said, I doubt everyone will associate your name because, well, itÆs really quite common to name their children after heroes. Though IÆm not going to call myself Alexis. IÆll go with a different name, maybe. Ritz, or Ambrose, - Alexis told her.

Meela clapped her two wooden palms. - IÆve got an idea! I will call myself. M. Lady M. -

Alexis smacked her head. - Meela. -

- I will be referred to as. M. You can call yourself A. -

- Ugh. -

- DonÆt you think Lady M is a classy name? I think it is, and it fits my role as the lady of the hotel, - Meela said. - aanyway, TreeTree, I need your help! Can I speak to Yura or the rest of the Valtorn Order? And are there any permits or permissions I need to get? -

If I had a head to shake, I would, but I could only lightly sway my branches to indicate my lack of knowledge about New FreekaÆs bureaucracy. But I could give her a hand. I wanted to see her succeed. - IÆll arrange someone to meet you. -

- Great. IÆd like to know before I accidentally commit a crime or infraction or have to pay. unnecessary bribes. -

- Bribes? -

- Uh, itÆs actually common. The nobles throughout this world ask for bribes all the time. Even enforcement agents regularly ask for money. I heard from so many innkeepers and blacksmiths throughout our journey. -

At this point, I turned to Ivy. - Any idea if that happens? - Given IvyÆs earlier bombshell that everyone committed some kind of crime, I thought of course bribery happened.

- Paying small sums of coin to avoid complete, thorough legal enforcement? Yes. One of the more common transactions to occur was intentional understatement of tax collections. In exchange, the enforcers get paid. -

- Ah. Does that happen to our people? -

- Yes. IÆve ignored it as the coins exchanged were minimal. - I wasnÆt shocked. People there did what they had to do. That was just how it was.

- Uh. - I recalled telling Ivy to ignore most of the petty crimes, so I guessed she classified that as such.

- It lubricates commerce, and my calculations indicates most traders would be bankrupt if they had to comply with the actual tax rates and the full extent of the law. -

- ThatÆs a problem with the New Freekan Law, is it not? -

- Perhaps. ItÆs heavily inspired by wherever the lawmakers are from, so the mishmash of laws gives rise to a whole lot of loopholes and possibilities for abuse. ItÆs compounded by the fact that the justice system refers most rulings to the High Council, of which the lawmakers themselves are the judge. -

- Ivy, has New FreekaÆs justice system always been so screwed up? -

- I think it functions rather well. There is a clear acknowledgment of authority that flows up to the councilors. The people understand that, so they obey the councilorÆs demands and whatever the city tells the people to do. The councilorÆs role as the adjudicator and arbitrator of peace is incredibly important to allay the citizens fears and address their needs. Even if it often lacks justice, it is a kind of order the people here have come to accept and respect. -

- Really? -

- Indeed. -

- IsnÆt there a written document? A constitution? What were they updating when they revised it to include the Valtorn Order? -

- Constitutional documents only list the major items, the key issues and matters the High Council wants to have formally documented. But, outside of that, the councilors issue proclamations all the time, and their decisions over time get stitched together into an informal law. Furthermore, punishment for noncompliance isnÆt specified, so thatÆs left to the jurisdiction of councilors. -

Ah. Whatever, IÆve gotten a little sidetracked.

Now, to get Yura to send some people over.

YEAR 79, MONTH 5

Meela eventually hired some treefolk, paid taxes for all the necessary permits, and got started with business. I just kinda let her do her own thing. There was really no need for me to interrupt and watch over her all the time. I felt I could trust Meela, so I was gonna let her play her sim - hotel while I did my shit.

So I turned my attention to my own priorities, my big three threats: demon king, other nations, and monsters. In dealing with demons, I was fairly confident in my abilities. Regarding the other nations, I needed the assistance of the people around me, so Yura Æs leveling challenge was something I needed to solve to help him. As for monsters. well, IÆd just let that be.

Actually, looking at it, IÆd reduced the relative threat level of monsters generally. So far, I hadnÆt yet faced any truly difficult monsters, though we did have golems that were territorial, but as a threat, I thought their territorial camping nature made them less of a concern than I initially expected.

It was the demon king and the other nations that were the most immediate dangers.

Looking at the other nations, I was relatively comfortable with where things were at the moment. I had a large army of beetles, and that was enough to deter the threat of small armies.

As for the demon king. he was about four years away, and IÆd asked Madeus to do more research on when the rifts will start to appear. He said it was usually two to three years before the demon king arrived, so I might have only another one to two years of peace before we were back to war with the demons.

- Master, weÆre at the north sinkhole. - Horns delegation of beetles and AlexisÆs probe finally arrived. IÆd soon start deploying subsidiary trees to the location, once theyÆd surveyed the area and found where exactly I needed to go.

The sinkhole was massive, and I really wondered how no one had found it all this while, but then again, it was probably just magic. There were multiple entrances that led into the sinkhole, and the area around the entrance was now filled with camps. One of the larger entrances even had a small town that catered to the adventurers needs, clearly run by opportunistic merchants trying to purchase the collected materials. Apparently, snakeskin and snake - bile had various uses, some of which could be sold for a huge amount of money.

- Which location should we pick? All the entrances were taken by the adventurers, and honestly, weÆll attract unnecessary attention. We are, after all, a delegation of beetles, and the adventurers will immediately assume weÆre hostile. -

- Horns, suggestions? -

- Somewhere farther away. WeÆre beetles. We donÆt need to use the ledges, so we can climb down vertical walls just fine. -

- Good point. - Alexis nodded.

If needed, I could use my roots to form new ledges for the beetles to crawl down, or even the roots and vines as a kind of rope. So, after a bit of scouting, we picked one side of the hole where there was already some shrubs and trees. That way the beetles and trees could blend in naturally.

- Could you spawn a biolab this far away? The sensors the probe has arenÆt as good as the ones on the biolab. -

- Oh, why? -

- The probe - etle can connect to it to amplify the sensors. -

- Fine, the trees were some distance away. Just hold position for a day or so. Spawning the roots to reach such distances takes time. So what kind of monsters? -

- Snakes? I see snakes. And spiders. A lot of snake - like slithering monsters. There were a lot of them down there. A lot of big ones, too. And colorful ones. - Horns, once again, with not exactly helpful descriptions.

Alexis looked at them. - I wonder whatÆs attracting the adventurers. -

- The usual, I suppose? Money, glory, power. Anyway, IÆm here for power. Once I get the trees there, then weÆll start exploring the sinkhole, too. -

Meanwhile, in New Freeka.

Class seed obtained - Dark Knight x 1

Experience seed obtained x 1

Huh! ItÆs a joyous thing, to find an unusual seed from a death ceremony. Since this ceremony started, IÆd processed about three hundred dead bodies, half of them from plain old age, the other half from injuries, fatal work accidents, murders, and fights. Most of them did not produce any of such seeds, but so far, about six bodies, or about point - five percent, seemed to produce something, either a skill seed, which was the most common, or a class seed.

The rarest seed was the Experience seed. It made sense, since they gave a level.

Essences, though, were a whole lot more common. Almost all dead bodies, when absorbed, produced a few essences. Usually simple essences, like essences of knife, or essences of lesser courage, or essence of water. Unlike seeds, essences were mainly used for infusions, their effects mild.

- WhoÆs this half - elf man? - I asked the priest handling the ceremony. After all, for this dead man to give me a dark knight class seed, he couldnÆt be ordinary. There was a young boy who looked to be a half elf, along with an old grandma next to him, attending the rites. Strangely, they didnÆt feel like family. The man who died looked to be relatively middle - aged, in his forties, and the cause of death was a stab to the heart.

- A recent refugee from Nung. Got into a scuffle with some of the guards and one of the guards stabbed him to death. Came with the boy and the grandma, in the same caravan, so the old grandma and the kid came to pay respects. Apparently, the kid and the man shared some kind of connection, so the kid insisted to come. ThatÆs all I know, sadly, - the priest clarified.

- I see. -

The priest picked up the compressed bones and passed them to the young boy. - Here, something from that man, for you. -

The boy nodded and accepted it. - Thank you. IÆll take good care of UncleÆs remains. -

- Is anyone looking after you, kid? - The priest smiled at the boy.

- Ah, IÆm living with that granny there. WeÆre working for a bakery now. -

- Ivy, can I ask you to start surveillance on this young boy and the grandma? - I asked. - HeÆs ticking quite a bit of the potential hero tropes. -

- IÆm a bit overwhelmed at this point. There were too many newcomers to the town. IÆm struggling with six to seven thousand people simultaneously. - Ivy had a massive list of people to watch - at this point all the politicians, all the guards, and then the Valtorn OrderÆs people.

Well, I was out of artificial souls. IÆd collected quite a bit of soul fragments but not enough, not yet. - Ah, well. drop monitoring some of the OrderÆs people then, those who do not appear to be undertaking any high risk or who arenÆt acting suspicious. -

- Okay. -

Ah, I got quite a bit of class seeds: ranger, archer, soldier, merchant, trader, and various other trades. So, dark knightÆs a rather. unique class type. Classes were available only to the humanoid races; monsters or the monster - like creatures usually didnÆt have classes. Instead, they had racial or type levels. A person could gain as many classes as they wanted, but depending on the race, only some of the benefits from the active few classes manifested.

So. dark knight.

- WhatÆs a dark knight? -

- Oh, knights who tap on the power of darkness? Knights who fight at night? Night knights? - Yura shrugged and laughed. - Sorry, TreeTree, IÆve never heard of it. -

Research Status:

Eye - Tree Stage I - completed

Beetle - anti - magma armors stage 3 - completed

Beetle - anti - magma armors stage 4 - 24 months

Tree - volcanic adaptation stage 3 - completed

Roots - Volcanic mineral harvesting - stage 2 - completed

Roots - Volcanic mineral processing - stage 1 - 1 month remaining

Materials testing - stage 1 - completed

Tree - lab varieties - stage 1 - 8 months

Magically attuned materials Stage 1 - 6 months

Basic Tree - Eyes obtained. Limited to 10 selected trees. Place on trees to obtain multidirectional vision. Can actively look through two sets of eyes at any one time, view limit can be increased with root - brain complexes.

Oh, I had Tree - Eyes. Obviously, I put one on my main tree and saved the rest. IÆd need to think where to put the trees properly, since it was limited.

In terms of research, IÆd decided to relieve Trevor from active research duties, so that brought my concurrent research topics down to four. That was because the valley was growing, and TrevorÆs energy and focus was needed to manage the larger valley. The forests now extended far beyond the valley itself, and there were now multiple patches. The total number was ninety - four thousand normal trees, some four hundred eighty thousand shrubs and bushes, and about five thousand subsidiary trees. He needed his full processing power to handle such a large valley, even with his higher levels.

Next, I cycled through my domain. The volcanoÆs activity subsided, but we were not attempting any invasion into the inner volcano for the moment. Although the beetles were tougher, thanks to more anti - magma armors, it didnÆt resolve the golem problem. The golems were still too powerful, and deeper still, we spotted a larger golem. They were not aggressive until we encroached on their area, and so, for now things remained as status quo. I did intend to have more research completed, a different army type, and more tools at my disposal before attempting my next invasion of the volcano.

Then, the ginseng plant. I was on a good streak, it was the longest continuous time IÆd protected the ginseng plant, so it was starting to attract stranger monsters. Together with a large army of beetles, both Dimitree and Trevor playing the role of the alarm and surveillance system, weÆd held off many greedy, ginseng - stealing monsters. I hoped IÆd get something for Yura to use, since ginseng, like herbs, was supposed to be good for supplementing vitality. Between Level Seeds and Ginseng, I thought IÆd be able to push Yura up to the next level, but first, I needed to make sure the Ginseng worked. I feared that giving Yura the levels, without the vitality to support it, may weaken him instead.

Emile and Belle, as part of the OrderÆs many business ventures, ran the various crop factories and processors, such as the olive press, the cotton factory, the herbal juice makers, the fermented or dried fruits and healing fruits. A plot of land near my main tree and another near the outskirts of New FreekaÆs town had been converted to grow all the different kinds of crops that the Order needed to operate these business ventures. I was hoping Brislah or Walen could participate, but they seemed content with their lives as ordinary elves living in New Freeka.

Speaking of business ventures, the New Freekans for now still made the wines for export, one of their most successful ventures so far. Even Salah bought from them. Their master winemakers apparently gained quite a few levels from this project and were even famous regionally. It helped they had the right kind of levels and skills, since there was a farmer with skills focused on growing high - quality fruits and also infusing them with a certain kind of flavor, so together, they made wines that had interesting taste profiles.

I still wondered whether Yvon thought it was worth it to trade her soul for grapes, but hey, sheÆd gotten lucky with Salah calling off the truce terms and instead offering an unconditional truce.

She was supposed to die and then I could use her soul for my own schemes! Oh well. SheÆd die eventually. Wars, demons, diseases, something would eventually get to all of us, and I thought sheÆd get killed somehow. Eriz, too! Eriz was still working as a maid and minder for Yvon, even though she was so free now that she didnÆt need a minder.

YvonÆs routine now mostly consist of practicing, teaching Roma various things, and then sparring with Lozanna . Other than that, she was at her home in New Freeka, idle, receiving visitors, mingling in public spaces with an adoring populace. She was to some the mother of the nation, the de facto queen.Æ

- TreeTree, can I ask for something? - Lozanna dropped by after her usual combat practice. Thankfully, sheÆd gotten over her Tarzan phase, and she wasnÆt swinging from tree to tree all that often, except for practice.Æ

- Hmm? -

- This special familiar. is there a price I have to pay? Like. Mom used to tell me that few things in the world were free. so. IÆm just wondering whether thereÆs a catch. -

- Huh, why? - Surely it wasnÆt a statement like that that prompted this sort of question.

- I see it in my dreams when I sleep these days. There are days I forget that weÆre separate. things. ItÆs like. itÆs like itÆs me. Part of me. And itÆs strange. Some days, I know what the vines are touching, I feel it, like the vines are like my fingers. ItÆs. really, really strange and a bit scary. -

- Uh. - Was that supposed to happen? I had no idea. I thought it might be an ability that the special familiar had. Did familiars meld with their hosts? - DonÆt worry about it, Lozanna . The familiar means you no harm, - I lied. I was not sure, but I thought the familiar should not have such side effects.

Alexis butted in during the conversation. - And whatÆs that familiar powered on? It feels familiar. Like. a kind of mana signature. -

- Magic. My magic. -

Alexis shrugged. - Is it? -

- Okay, I believe you, TreeTree. but if someday I want to remove the familiar, is that possible? Can the familiar contracts be cancelled? - Lozanna , of course, couldnÆt hear AlexisÆs voice.

- Yes, yes. I can take the familiar back, so donÆt worry. HowÆs practice? Was Yvon a good coach? -

Lozanna paused, and then she flashed her usual big, chubby smile. - Okay, TreeTree. Lady Yvon, sheÆs good, but I think Uncle Yura Æs a better fighter. - Well, Yura did gain more levels, and his recent class - merger made him really formidable.

- Oh. You donÆt like fighting her? -

- No, not that. I like her. I just have not gotten used to how she fights. ItÆs. a different style. But I mean, Uncle Yura Æs a better fighter in a. erm. a bigger way. -

- Well, you should get used to different styles of fighting. Heroes need to fight all sorts of monsters. -

Lozanna nodded. - Oh, yeah. I didnÆt think of that. YouÆre right, TreeTree, I should adapt to different styles! -

She walked into the playroom now turned study room, and she grabbed a small bag of wooden toys and some small, kid - size wooden swords. I thought she intended to distribute them to the kids in the orphanage, now her friends. - IÆm going to train my friends. Is that okay? -

- Sure, donÆt go easy on them. -

Lozanna frowned, her lips pouty. - Uhm, I canÆt. TheyÆre really weak, so I need to train them slowly. TreeTree, do you think one day you can use your powers on them, too? -

Well, Alexis did suggest a larger sample size. - Maybe? - IÆd been monitoring the orphans for some time, and none of them, so far, showed anything. extraordinary. The regular checks using the biolab in the orphanage didnÆt indicate whether any of them would be special, but then again, Lozanna wasnÆt special, either.

I was in a bit of a dilemma. Lozanna was where she was now, a genius because of years of consuming essence, dream tutor, and power - leveling such that she gained knowledge. If Lozanna was ordinary, then what if the others were special? But my dilemma wasnÆt really potential, but. maybe I thought what was really stopping me from trying was trust.Æ

For Lozanna , she had been with me since she was a baby, and that strong bond was why I had invested in her and she was my guinea pig. Maybe someday sheÆd betray me when she finally went to see the world. But still, it was a mutual benefit. I learned something, and Lozanna got stronger.

So, for these other kids. If I started young and molded these children, maybe I would build such a bond with them, too.

Most of them. Maybe, just maybe, I could link it to the familiar, such that all of them must take the familiar contract, and the familiars would then also help to monitor them? Act as my eyes and ears, such that I could learn more about these children and, in turn, build a stronger bond?

Skill upgraded: Symbiotic extension

Skill learned: Minder - Familiars. Maximum Minders, 20

Special tree type obtained: DreamerÆs Treehouses

- Lozanna , would you have any of your friends who would like to. have a familiar? -

YEAR 79 MONTH 6

I chose five.

Five young girls, around age six to eight, from the orphanage for the first batch of the minder - familiars. IÆd decided to use the minders in batches so I could spread out my sample size over time. Why girls? No real reason for girls, it just so happened that Lozanna Æs friends or playmates were mostly girls.

Their reaction to having a minder - familiar contract was mostly shock; to them, all they could see was familiar. The status as a minder was hidden, or else they probably wouldnÆt accept it. Amazing, they said. But these were young girls, their magic just starting to bubble out of their tiny souls.

I had conditions, of course, things that Laufen helped me explain.

1. Regular dips into pod, twice a week, so I could track changes to their body and their soul.

2. They had to stay in a subsidiary tree I placed next to the orphanage quarters. It had room and beds for twenty children, though they were all densely packed together like a dorm. This was because my Dream Tutor only worked when they slept either next to me or inside me.Æ

3. Practice. Once they accepted the familiar, they would go on a structured education and training program so that theyÆd become competent soldiers.

I had twenty slots, so I planned to split them into four batches, using the first five as guinea pigs and refining the process as I went along. There were things I wanted to identify, such as how the essence used influenced the creation of skill blocks in the soul realm. By looking at them frequently, I hoped to gain some idea about how effective essences were and how much I actually needed to use for it to start having an effect.

For the education program, I tasked Yura to appoint some of the OrderÆs militia to start these girls on simple exercises and drills. This world did not shy away from sending young children to fight wars, so I thought it was better to train them before they got sent to their deaths.

The girls took to training and education with much enthusiasm, showing up promptly and listening to the various trainings and teachers intently. It was a small, focused class, one teacher to five girls, and it was drawn out of my personal budget. The OrderÆs budget allocated a discretionary sum to me that I could do whatever I wanted with.

Anyway, the girls were really enjoying the structure, which I found quite strange, as I remembered being a rebellious young child in my youth, but for orphans who never had structure, it must have been a welcome change of pace.

Next, I followed up on the hole. Further down, there was a bit of a space - warping present, similar to almost all dungeons and, to some extent, my own secret hideout .

- Dungeon? - Horns suggested as the small squad of beetles ventured down the hole.

- Magical presence was fluctuating, which seemed rather consistent with the presence of a dungeon core of some kind. -

- Not a leyline? - I asked.

- DidnÆt seem like there was magical energies of a leyline. Do you detect any? -

Sadly, I knew the answer was no. When we conquered the earlier dungeon, the presence of the leyline was clear. My roots, as magically insensitive as they were, could pick it up because of how overwhelming the leylineÆs presence was once we got underground. None of that overwhelming magical presence here. unless it was somehow magically concentrated and hidden.

- A core, then. -

- ItÆs deep, I think. - AlexisÆs probe walked down the cliff walls. Some snakes and flying creatures started to engage the group of beetles, which the beetles fought off successfully.

- Master, were you able to place your trees on the cliffs? -

- Farther up, yes. But once the dungeonÆs influence touches the cliff, no. There was a barrier, which my subsidiary trees cannot pierce. - I could use roots, though, to create a path.

- At this point? -

- IÆm afraid thatÆs in the dungeon, already. - The good thing was I could see into the dungeon because, unlike the earlier dungeon, it wasnÆt blocked. Perhaps this dungeon didnÆt learn that sort of ability? Or not all dungeon cores had the same kind of power?

- Ah, could you put a tree right at the very edge and then lower a bunch of vines down? Something for us to grab on if we need to jump and fight. -

- Ah. -

The beetles had no problems walking on the cliff walls that led deep into the darkness below. The darkness itself didnÆt scare them, either; their vision was naturally adapted to all light levels. But fighting while trying to grip onto the walls was not so easy.

- . your presence was getting faint, Master, - Horns said.

- Hmm. IÆm still connecting to my probe. Looked like my connection was stronger than yours. ItÆs just really crazy dark down here. -

- Tell Master IÆll talk through you, - Horns said to AlexisÆs probe. Horns communication was also a kind of telepathy.Æ

- I know. I can still communicate, but that means youÆve got to protect me. -

Snakes. These snakes had rough scales. Perhaps it helped them move and hold onto the jagged cliffs. Some of these snakes were like nagas, part - humanoid, with four or six arms and a long, slithering body that helped them navigate the cliffs. The nagas were tough opponents to fight, and they could easily take on five or six of the beetles before dying.

- TreeTree, your beetles were not suited for dungeon battles. They were tough, and their bodies strong, but their way of charging and fighting was not really appropriate in this environment. I would say only Horns with his skills was suited. -

- What were you telling Master? -

- Nothing. -

After another two to three hours of descending into the abyss, theyÆd decided to stop and retreat, as the attacks from the snakes became relentless.

- Master, I suggest a full - scale invasion of the hole. Maybe five thousand beetles, and fifty of the large beetles, all of us go into the abyss and attack everything we see. The dungeonÆs structure is deep, and wavy further down, and there are a lot of monsters, but unlike the earlier dungeon, itÆs still big enough for a large amount of beetles. A large attack force will work a lot better than a small, elite squad. -

- I agree with the assessment. This dungeon seemed to favor large, wide caverns and hallways. Ideal situation for a large force to just march in. -

- Very well. LetÆs do it. Horns, youÆre in charge. -

- Ayy! This beetle army is gonna kick some dungeon core backside! Beetles will be the very best! -

A week later, the adventurers nearby were treated to the view of a massive army of beetles descending into the abyss. It caused a massive panic, but as the beetles did not attempt to engage the adventurers, cleverly, the adventurers took the hint and left the army of beetles alone.

And HornsÆs suggestion was working like a charm.

Within three days of the invasion, like an unstoppable tide of destruction, the beetles charged in and flooded the dungeon, slaughtered all the snakes that had the misfortune of being in their path, cleared most of the dungeon and, most importantly, reached the core.

The wide layout meant a large force could penetrate all the way in, even if we were outmatched one to one. And the space allowed our superior numbers to gang up on the individually stronger snakes.

The core was trying its best to defend itself, spawning and summoning as many snake monsters as it could, but with three thousand beetles left, and despite two thousand beetles that died fighting all the snakes and snake - like monsters, it was unable to muster an army large enough to fight back the tide of beetles.

- Bring it back. - Horns and the army arrived at the core room, and with a strong nudge from the giant beetle, the dungeon core rolled off its pedestal.

And that was how we beat the dungeon.

I found it quite funny because what the dungeon core needed to do to successfully defend against our invasion was choke us off, but strangely, this dungeon coreÆs design choice was wide - open spaces, large openings, and big walkways. Big spaces, big walls, all allowed for a large force to rush in and clear everything. Perhaps it was an architect with a thing for big spaces.

And why snakes?

Ah, perhaps the dungeon core rolled the dice and got snakes.

With that, the army of beetles returned with a dungeon core taken from its home. Strangely, without the dungeon core, the deep hole continued to spawn snakes, although to a lesser frequency.

- Dungeon core. - It was a large, circular, crystal - like structure, about the size of a basketball. I recalled the earlier one being larger, though. Or were there many variants? Perhaps it wasnÆt something with a standard size.

- What were you going to do with it? -

- I would like to study it, of course. But between now and when I get that magic lab, itÆs going to sit in my treeasury . -

- . fair enough. -

Other than that, the beetles also brought back some interesting abyss vegetation.

Tree - type obtained: Cave Trees

Plant - type obtained: Deep Moss

Special Tree - type obtained: Cliff Bonsai

No levels for me, sadly. Horns and Alexis did get some levels. Sucked being a bystander.

YEAR 79 MONTH 7

- Tree Spirit, an audience, please. - Yvon came marching to my main tree, alone. She didnÆt seem very happy.

- Yes? -

- WhatÆs your plans with the orphans? I heard from Lozanna that youÆve given them familiars and started them on some kind of training. -

- It was as you heard, training. I intend to train them into warriors. -

- Warriors? Is that all there is to it? Surely there is more going on, what with the strange things you have been asking them about. -

Hmm, she was being rather aggressive. - What are you alluding to? If you have something to say, get to it. -

Yvon took a step back, but then, she quickly adjusted her posture, such that she faced me head on, her eyes staring at my tree trunk. - What I hear is there is constant dipping into your. pool. That healing pod thing, with all of your feelers. So I want to know are you also meddling with their bodies? Are you. altering them? And are you meddling with their minds as well? -

- Meddling, yes. Altering, maybe. - Well, yeah. I did plan to meddle. That was the whole point.

Yvon shook her head. - That. thatÆs not right. These are children. -

- You seem to think there is a reason not to select children. Wrong. ItÆs because they are children. Children can be easily molded, shaped. Their minds are flexible, receptive to change. And seriously, why now, Lady Yvon? -

Yvon paused. Maybe when Lozanna started to tell her what IÆd been doing with the five girls, it just flicked a switch. - Why? What do you mean why? Is it not wrong to start using children for some kind of war plot? As your future war potential? -

- Many nations do so, choose young children and prepare them for war, in some cases from the day they are born. What I want to do is similar. If you ask me why, ask all the nations before, and present, why. Fighting, war. Destruction. ItÆs a way of life in this world. Preparing these children for that way of life so they - we - have a better chance of survival as a whole, is there anything wrong with that? -

Yvon nodded. - It is your altering of their bodies and minds. Is it something thatÆs irreversible? Such that they may lose their ability to have children? -

- As I currently plan it, no. And seriously, you know better that the whole matters more than the individuals. Some must be sacrificed, and experience pain, for the whole to succeed. It is, as I said, strange coming from you, Lady Yvon. -

YvonÆs face was complicated, a mix of worry, perhaps disgust, and fear. - Would you deprive them of a childhood, of friends? Would you isolate them, make them. inhuman? Would this sacrifice that you ask of these young girls, would it be too much for them? -

- Maybe. Maybe this burden is too much for them. Maybe asking them to sacrifice their childhoods to be my warriors is too much. But there is no one else, Yvon. These orphans yearn for a purpose in life, and I give them one. To answer a greater calling, to fight for me. For the valley. For all of us. -

- That -

- I find it strange that you are suddenly concerned for these young girls. I donÆt recall you being so caring of orphans when you were in a position of power, so these words coming from you. sound. hollow. -

YvonÆs eyes were a bit watery. Was she trying to pull the crying lady trick? Sadly, I was a tree, and such crying antics did not trigger a protective urge within me. - Yes, I didnÆt do what I could. I had the power, yet I was too crippled by politics, too confused by all the competing priorities. But now, I have to speak up. I heard what Lozanna said these girls will go through, and I fear for these young souls. YouÆre sending them into a life of only war. -

- And so what? This is how the world is. Why do you want to speak up? Are you doing so to satisfy some kind of conscience that you suddenly discovered you have? -

- Uhm. No. I am trying to care for these young orphans. They deserve a life better than war now that we are at peace. - I thought she was lying. And that was hogwash, really.

- Peace? You mean this peace that we have because our overwhelming might suddenly scared the shit out of our opponents? This was no true peace, Lady Yvon. It was a peace built on fear. A fear of our power. And if you know better, this peace is maintained by power. Lady Yvon, if you truly care, and want to care, I would like to suggest you participate in their molding as warriors. Be their support, then. These young girls, they will need a matron to watch over them, to guide and advise them where I canÆt, to be a wise elder to these sheep, our future warriors. -

She froze, and her eyes twitched. - Again? You. you want me to be a part of it? -

- Yes. Since you suddenly have a conscience, come, join the training. Join me in shaping our future warriors, our. future generals, our future knights. Perhaps you can then see for yourself what I am trying to do. -

- Ahh. -

- So? Or were your earlier words just. something you wanted to get off your chest? -

Yvon finally nodded. - IÆll do it. IÆll help you with these girls. -

- Good. Make them strong. We will need their strength one day. -

- Alexis, do you have any results from the treefolk study? -

- Ah, yes. I got the dead treefolk, and IÆm starting my investigations. So far nothing, but IÆm mainly interested in the kind of flexible muscle - wood that they have on their joints. Their body is fascinating under scrutiny. ItÆs both plant - like yet they also form muscle - like structures. ItÆs like somebody just blended a tree and a person together to create a treefolk. Replicating that muscle - like structure would mean we could make stronger creatures overall. -

- How long do you need? -

- According to research planner , probably twelve months just to understand the treefolkÆs bodily structures. There was a lot to unpack. The treefolkÆs brain was also interesting and worth another twelve to twenty - four months of study, and I reckon would have a benefit to your root - brain complex . -

- Are they not a communal mind structure, like forests are? - It was said that forests formed an intelligence through the interconnected roots, like each tree was a neuron. In this world, large, ancient forests often appeared to have a will of their own, and over time, this would often pool together and create a spirit tree or soul tree . It was one of the many ways tree spirits were said to come to existence naturally.

- Not exactly. Though treefolk have a head, their brains are actually distributed throughout their body, kind of like jellyfish. ItÆs like a neural network, but with a few large hubs in the head, the heart. -

- They have a heart, yes? -

- Yes. Well, their heart is actually more like this main vessel through their body that runs from their leg to their head. In a way, itÆs like a large, muscled pipe. -

- Ermm. never mind the details. -

There was news from a distant land, as Nung, Takde, and Salah eventually settled on a peace treaty. Though culprit of the massive blizzard was still at large, the blizzard itself had been successfully dispelled, and the weather had returned to normal.

That said, ground zero of that spell was now a quasi - dungeon area, the presence of such blood sacrifice distorting the area such that it spawned zombies and monsters. It would take some time for the remains of such magic to decay.

So trade got rerouted around the now - cursed land, and the three nations reached a kind of awkward truce. Still, that meant less essence for me from this battlefield.