Chapter 145: The Dance of the Treants
Father Oak – Sivanus.
He is the only deity without a clear faction, and the most extreme advocate of natural balance.
Therefore, although he prevented the disasters brought by the destruction of the Arcane Empire, many races do not understand his deeds very well. His past actions were too extreme and easily incited opposition from civilized races. Father Oak only cares about the entire natural world; to him, all races are treated equally. His believers range from good to evil, as long as they lean towards the neutral faction, there is no problem. Father Oak views things differently from everyone else, and even most gods have significant conflicts with his values.
At present.
The influence of Father Oak is limited to Druids, Treants, and other beings; even when he was not fallen, despite possessing strong divine power and having a church’s influence all over the Material Plane, he still did not receive much recognition within many civilizations. This is because whether it is humans, elves, dwarves, or orcs, as they develop their own civilizations, they inevitably damage nature. The only teachings that have spread to some extent within civilizations are those of Mother Earth, which are relatively gentle, along with agricultural development that she represents.
As such, although Father Oak saved the world, he has gradually been forgotten by the people.
Perhaps for Father Oak, he does not need the gratitude of the world; maintaining the balance of nature is his mission, and sacrificing for the protection of nature is merely fulfilling his duties.
To be honest, Soren has a drastic conflict with Father Oak in both his methods and worldview.
However, this does not affect his respect for Father Oak.
Because Father Oak is indeed a great elder, in the long years, the mess left by the gods’ struggles has often fallen to him to clean up. The disasters experienced in the Material Plane are countless. There have been several that are comparable to large-scale nuclear explosions, but in the end, it was all saved by Father Oak. Humans are the race most fond of self-destruction; from the Age of Nethers to the Silver Era and the Arcane Empire, if we add the Spirit Sucking Monster Empire and another rather unique civilization, then the major natural disasters the Material Plane has experienced are likely to be even more.
Father Oak and the Arborists within his church have tirelessly been healing the natural environment.
As long as it is not a severe violation of the natural balance, Father Oak will not easily show his anger. However, if he does get angry, it is undoubtedly a terrifying matter.
Because he is one of the few ancient gods who also takes on the role of a Barbarian!
Father Oak rarely personally participates in battles, but one thing is unquestionable: his combat power is among the top in the multiverse, and he is one of the few powerful divine beings capable of ending a plane; however, he probably would not do such a thing.
………………
Misty Forest.
Soren looked at everything before him in confusion; the road guided by the Goddess of Magic was a path he had never seen before.
Because it has been covered by mist for many years. Additionally, the interior of the forest is like a maze, and during the Cataclysm of the Saints and after its conclusion, adventurers have not fully explored this vast primordial forest. Many ancient life forms from bygone eras rely on the natural environment of the Misty Forest to avoid disturbances from other races.
A peculiar arched tree gate appeared ahead.
They had now delved deep into the Misty Forest’s interior. Within this enormous forest, which spans over ten thousand square kilometers, there are many secret realms left over from ancient times.
People refer to it as the “Gate of Nature,” but in fact, it is merely a remnant of a half-plane.
“This is it.”
The Lady of Midnight stopped and gently pointed her fair finger at the arched tree gate in front of her. Immediately, the mist ahead parted, revealing a quiet road appearing around them.
The surrounding trees seemed to sway gently as if they were alive, faintly inducing a sense of unease.
“So many of the trees here are dead.”
Ildis’s expression was filled with awe; as a wizard who had not yet reached the Legendary Domain, everything he saw before him was astonishing. Under normal circumstances, he would have never dared to venture this far into the Misty Forest alone.
“Yes.”
The Lady of Midnight nodded lightly, slowly saying, “A plague has eroded this place, and some evil forces are impacting these trees. What I will need your help with next is related to this.”
A clear river appeared ahead.
This should be a space between the Material Plane and a half-plane, a spatial gap opened by some powerful force.
“You cannot pass through here.”
A clear female voice rang out ahead, accompanied by a weak natural glow. From among the trees, an incredibly beautiful woman in a light green long dress walked out. She looked somewhat like an elf, with a pair of pointed ears, but her appearance did not represent much; in fact, she was a high-level Treant.
Even!
Soren observed her aura and saw the brilliance of divinity.
The Treant approached them gracefully, and Ildis appeared somewhat amazed. In terms of beauty, Treants were likely the pinnacle of the Material Plane, and he probably had never seen such a stunning opposite sex before.
“Kalyena.”
The Lady of Midnight seemed to be familiar with the place; she gazed at the beautiful Treant before her and slowly said, “I must enter the temple. There are some things inside that I need.”
Kalyena was apparently the name of the beautiful Treant before them.
Upon hearing this, her brows furrowed slightly. With her strength, she should not be able to see through the true identity of the Goddess of Magic, but she could roughly tell that her power was extraordinary. The Goddess of Magic likely had not visited here for the first time; it seemed that she had returned empty-handed last time and then decided to seek help. For a moment, even Soren was curious about what exactly was inside this temple that made the Goddess of Magic so eager to obtain it.
“I’m sorry.”
The Treant still rejected the Lady of Midnight, shaking her head, “The natural seal cannot be opened; we need this power to stop the forest from being eroded.”
“Please leave here.”
Once again, the negotiations failed.
The Goddess of Magic did not appear surprised by this; Soren silently placed his hand on the hilt of his sword at the side. Ildis’s expression also grew serious; it seemed they would not mind using force to resolve the issue if necessary. However, the Goddess of Magic stopped this behavior, as there seemed to be some forces that made her wary, at least she did not wish to resolve it through violence.
Thus, she gazed at the high Treant before her, slowly saying, “If we can help you solve these problems, will you allow me to enter the temple?”
Problems?
Without a doubt, this should refer to the forest that is being eroded, right?
Soren’s expression was somewhat surprised because he did not understand how the Goddess of Magic intended to resolve the current troubles. She was the Goddess of Magic, not the Goddess of Nature. The trees nearby obviously seemed to have sentient life; even they were eroded by some force, undoubtedly a very troublesome issue. Moreover, it appeared that this situation had existed for a long time. Some trees had completely decayed, and if not for a force suppressing them here, these trees might have possibly turned into Deadwood Guardians.
The expression of the high Treant seemed somewhat hesitant.
She glanced at the Lady of Midnight before her and said hesitantly, “Although you are strong, this issue may not be something you can resolve.”
This half-plane has existed for a long time.
Such a severe erosion could not have formed overnight. It was likely related to multiple factors; the balance of the Element Pool was also quite off, and even Soren did not think that the Goddess of Magic could resolve it.
“Of course.”
The Lady of Midnight nodded gently, acknowledging that she indeed did not have the ability to solve these issues. Her divine profession does not encompass nature, and saving is undoubtedly far more challenging than destruction. However, she then turned her gaze to Soren and Ildis beside her, quietly saying, “Since you are the priestess serving Father Oak – Sivanus, you should know that there is a ritual to awaken the divine power he left behind, which can heal this forest, right?”
A ritual to heal the forest?
Upon hearing this, Soren suddenly jolted, and then a thought immediately sprang to his mind. He murmured, “It can’t possibly be that ritual, right?”
Among Father Oak’s believers are numerous Treants.
As symbiotic beings with trees, many Treants had sought protection from Father Oak, and in Father Oak’s church, there are two sacred rituals that can be used to restore the natural environment, allowing the gradually dying forest to regain vitality. Father Oak’s church possesses many rituals, but among these rituals, the two most powerful and sacred are named “Tree Song” and “Dance of the Treants.”
The former is an extremely grand sacrificial ritual.
It requires a large number of believers to chant the ancient hymns of the church in unison, attracting the creatures of the forest to stop and listen. As seen before, this place does not have conditions for holding a “Tree Song” ritual.
The latter is a joyful ritual that restores vitality to the forest, requiring believers to summon the Treants from the linked trees with music and dance, then engage with humans.
He believes this ritual has been mentioned before.
This ritual does not impose significant costs on Treants, but for those who engage with them, it could be a great burden, potentially requiring more sacrifices.
“The Dance of the Treants?”
The words of the Lady of Midnight seemed to remind the high Treant before her, and a contemplative expression appeared on her beautiful face as she turned her gaze to Soren and Ildis. As a Treant herself, this ritual should be easiest for her to complete; she fell into thought muttering, “If we can successfully hold the ‘Dance of the Treants,’ it might awaken the divine power left by Father Oak, thus truly purifying the entire forest.”
As she said this, her eyes brightened instantly.
First, she glanced at the handsome, golden-haired Ildis. After staring for a while, Kalyena furrowed her brow and muttered, “No. He is not strong enough and does not possess sufficient power; perhaps he could not even support half of the ritual.”
Ildis was somewhat baffled.
As the church of Father Oak gradually faded from the eyes of mortals, even wizards do not understand much about the sacred rituals within their church.
Even now, he did not know what others were talking about.
The high Treant quickly turned her gaze to Soren beside her, and in an instant, her eyes lit up, her expression became radiant, and with an eager look, she said, “He can!”
“Not only is he strong enough! But he also has powerful abilities!…”
“I can sense the brilliance of divinity!…”
“If he is willing to help us hold the sacred ritual, it might completely awaken the divine power left by Father Oak, allowing the entire Misty Forest to be purified!…”
Upon hearing what the high Treant said, the Goddess of Magic immediately cast a pleading look towards Soren beside her.
Ildis was originally her chosen candidate.
If he was unable to do it, the Goddess of Magic might have to find some special means to enhance Ildis’s strength and then have him complete this sacred ritual.
While this might require her to pay a considerable price, there was indeed something inside Father Oak’s temple that was very important to her!
Now.
Soren could actually complete this ritual, which meant she did not have to pay too great a price; she only needed to find a way to compensate Soren as best as she could.
There was something she absolutely needed within the temple!
Therefore, at this moment, the gaze of the Goddess of Magic looking at Soren had already taken on a hint of pleading.
……………… (To be continued ~^~)
