Chapter 98: Great Forest (0)

“For Mitra?” Theo felt it seemed a little dubious, but he accepted the seed on her behalf.

The seed glowed with a blue light. If this truly was a seed from Yggdrasil, the sacred world tree which stood at the center of Elvenheim, it was priceless. However, Ellenoa had asked for this to be fed to Mitra.

It didn’t seem like he could come up with the right answer alone, so Theo decided to ask the person sitting before him, “Sir Edwin, do you know the meaning of this seed?”

Edwin looked surprised. “What do you mean?”

Theo clarified, “What is the efficacy of the seed... or why did Ellenoa tell me to give it to Mitra?”

Edwin pondered for a moment before nodding. “I don’t know her will, but I will tell you what I know.”

His explanation dated back to the time of Yggdrasil’s birth and Elvenheim’s founding. Three hundred years ago, elves had gathered from across the world to make a new home in the mountains of the north. They had joined hands to birth a world tree, which would stand sentinel in their kingdom.

Although incomplete, Yggdrasil was still a world tree, and defended Elvenheim with its power. Its falling leaves cleaned the ground, while its roots rose to the surface to create a natural ecosystem. This was why the elves were able to secure a haven for themselves in the middle of the great northern mountains alongside several wild creatures. As such, the elves of Elvenheim were grateful and revered the world tree as their parent tree.

“The parent tree helped the elves thrive. The sap helped with conception through its vitality, and its branches became the weapons of the warriors, while its petals and fruits had the power to heal the sick and injured.”

“Perhaps...”

“Yes, your line of thinking is correct.”

Theo had noticed that many potions and specialties could only be made in Elvenheim. He had guessed that the reason was the addition of ingredients from Yggdrasil. Since the potions and specialities were a byproduct of the world tree, they could never be reproduced by human technology. It was the reason why Elvenheim held the absolute advantage in trade.

However, Theo continued to listen, since the seed hadn’t come up yet. Edwin paused for a breath before saying, “The world tree produces many fruits in a hundred years, but only a few seeds. I am one of the fortunate few to have been bestowed a seed.”

“Sir Edwin?”

“Yes, according to old teachings, the seed of the parent tree can germinate abilities hidden within the being who takes it. I started on the path of a guardian after I consumed it.”

Germinating potential!

It was indeed a product of the world tree. Theo glanced down at this marvel in his hands. The seed would not be of much use to Theo, since his innate talent was small to begin with.

On the other hand, Mitra’s potential came from…

Mother Earth…

The potential of a human was nothing in the face of the god Dmitra. No one would’ve imagined that something that deep lay within the excitedly jumping Mitra.

[Wuong?]

Mitra caught his eye and made a questioning sound.

“Mitra, this is a gift.” Theo held the seed out to her without any hesitation. Mitra stared blankly at the seed for a moment before jumping onto his palm. At first, she wanted to bite the seed, but then she looked up at Theo.

[Deo! I eat it?!]

“Eat?”

[Ye!]

Mitra was drooling, so it seemed like she found it very appetizing. Maybe there was something which only elementals could feel. It just seemed like a bead with a good fragrance to him.

Theo nodded, causing Mitra to laugh and lift the seed above her head.

[Aam-!] She opened her mouth and swallowed the bead in one go.

Gulp.

***

The heart of the northern Great Forest, Elvenheim, was a month away from Manavil by express carriage. However, carriages would quickly become useless inside the large forests. As such, the delegation had planned to travel for a hundred days minimum to reach Elvenheim. However, the delegation’s departure room was strangely empty.

“... You came,” Orta, the man standing in the middle of the room, murmured as soon as the door closed behind them. Edwin, who had a long talk with Theo about Mitra, was standing behind him.

Theo walked up to stand next to Orta, who asked him, “Are the preparations finished?”

Theo nodded. “Yes.”

Orta sighed. “Then let’s leave. It is a long journey, so we need to hurry.”

Theo and the White Tower Master had the same level of authority on this mission, so Orta obtained his consent and moved to the center of the circle, while Sylvia made her way to Theo’s side. However, before Sylvia could even greet him, something suddenly popped out of Theo’s arms.

“Ooh?” Sylvia reflexively caught Mitra.

[Hoing!]

Mitra waved at her as she snuggled into Sylvia’s arms and laughed. Sylvia cupped her hands around Mitra and felt a strange sense of incongruity.

As she stroked Mitra’s hair, she muttered with a surprised expression, “... A bud?”

Mitra’s hair now sported a budding sprout. Sylvia looked at Theo for an explanation, but he just smiled mysteriously. Theo and Edwin were the only ones who knew that the bud had grown after Mitra ate the seed of the world tree. Mitra was amazed, but she also didn’t know what it was.

Well, I’ll find out if I ask Ellenoa directly.

Theo put it out of his mind as he focused on leaving safely. Having experienced teleportation before, Theo waited calmly for the space magic to activate. The White Tower Master had informed him that he would teleport them near the border. He was expecting a great deal of dizziness and side effects from the massive distance.

The moment that Theodore was done preparing himself...

“Mass Teleport.”

The magic circle under the party lit up as the words were spoken. The space transfer magic circle, the symbol of the White Tower, swallowed up the elf and nine ambassadors.

Ah!

Three dimensional space folded into a line. The unrestrained space manipulation wasn’t something human senses could handle. The matter couldn’t be solved just by closing their eyes, but it was better than being stupid enough to look.

Fortunately, the distorted sensation soon ended.

“Keuk!”

“Huuuu...”

“Umm.”

Everyone had their own method of dealing with the side effects. Some breathed in deeply, while others bit their lip. However, there were a few who seemed utterly unaffected, including Theo. The only side effect he had was a slight headache, so he looked around carefully.

Beads of light floated up in the dark interior.

.

“This place is an underground facility near the border. It is a place where we can’t stay for long. Follow me,” Orta instructed as he walked through the room with the ease of familiarity.

The stairs eventually led to a trap door. Orta pushed it open, revealing bright light, and clambered out without saying a word.

Kkiiiik.?

Light magic flared at the same time the trap door was opened, which may have allowed the delegation to adjust. Once the nine ambassadors were out, Orta closed the trapdoor behind them and camouflaged it with nearby sand. He examined his work for a moment, and nodded once he was sure there were no traces of their passage.

Meanwhile, Theo was looking around. “... This place.”

The horizon extended in every direction without a single obstacle. Everyone was greeted by unbroken wilderness and the occasional gust of wind that carried red sand across the ground.

Is this wilderness the Red Plateau?

This was the northern border of Meltor, the Red Plateau. It was a barren land that seemed to reject all life. The monsters of the northern Great Forest never wanted to cross into Meltor thanks to this natural boundary. It was several hundred kilometers long, and only rained once every couple of years. The number of hungry creatures who died here were too numerous to count.

Therefore, people often made extensive preparations to cross this wasteland. They would also need to defend against some of the undead creatures who called this arid plains home.

Everybody knew this, so one person hesitantly asked, “Tower Master?”

Orta glanced at him. “Hmm?”

“Where are the carriages we are going to ride?”

Everyone else also looked at Orta. Since he was a magician from the White Tower, they thought he would’ve prepared gust carriages. Masters could use higher ranked elementals, but even Edwin had limitations. He couldn’t carry nine people’s worth of baggage.

However, no matter where they looked, they couldn’t find any carriages.

“It’s annoying to explain. Please put on these rings first.”

Orta pulled out a box and started handing out rings. They were made of silver and weren’t decorated, so the party put on the rings. Edwin hesitated for a moment, but he eventually put it on his index finger as well.

Orta watched them with calm eyes. “Then let’s depart. If I have to tell you one thing, it’s to just stand in place.”

The others all had puzzled expressions.

“It’s quicker to show you,” the White Tower Master started to take one slow step after another.

His legs were obviously moving, but he didn’t move away from the party. Was he showing them a trick? Some started to suspect that the White Tower Master was slightly strange in the head.

However, some of them were sharper and noticed the abnormalities. Theo was extremely sensitive to supernatural sensations, so he was the fastest to notice. Even Edwin’s expression revealed shock. The clouds above their heads disappeared into the distance, while the clouds on the horizon moved above them.

... How can we move so far in one step?!

Was this a type of space magic? The group centered around Orta was jumping hundreds of meters, or maybe a few kilometers, instantly. It wasn’t as noticeable, since the wasteland was the same environment for its entire span, but the rest of the group soon realized what was going on.

“S-Spatial distortion?! With every step?!”

“Impossible!”

“Even if he is the White Tower Master, this...”

As Orta had instructed, the rest of them didn’t move, but the party was astonished as they stared at the constantly changing sky. They were moving very quickly through the notorious Red Plateau. Indeed, there was no need for carriages. The gust carriages were slow as a turtle compared to moving hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye.

White Tower Master Orta, who claimed the title of unrivaled in space magic, declared bluntly, “We will arrive at the Great Forest as the sun sets. Be prepared to set up camp.”