207 Elder Evergreen (2/2)

\”En, we can't listen to their lies, especially that person. He is a wicked being who wields the flames of the devil. Not only are they evil, but they are also cunning! We should fight to our last breath!\” A hotblooded treant expressed his agreement,

\”That's not right. That person can also conjure the water of life. How can he be evil? The guardian spirit would not have allowed them to venture so far if they were truly evil.\” An elderly treant frowned. What the elderly treant didn't know was that their so-called guardian spirit had pretty much been bribed by Leon with his healing pills.

Leon was bewildered by what he heard. Flames of the devil? Water of life? Isn't that too much of exaggeration? He was only using regular one-star flame and water! But no, to these treants that never seen the light of day, it was no exaggeration. Fire gave them hell, and water gave them life.

The burnt blacken parts of the treants could be seen receding at a noticeable speed simply by dipping in the pool of water made by Leon. His water seemed to work wonders like a miracle healing drug on these treants. 'Is it because they never received sunlight and water before?' Leon doubted.

The treants continued to discuss among themselves and Leon soon find his patience waning. With a forced smile and asked, \”Is a representative among you to whom I can speak with?\”

\”What do we do? That fiend looks like it is losing its patience.\”

\”Is it going to attack again?\”

The treants looked at each other with worry and continued their whisper. But at some point, all them went silent then moment they heard a walking cane tapping the ground.

\”Village chief.\”

They greeted and parted ways for the appearance of a new treant that looked much more imposing and ancient than the rest of them. Leon's heart shook with each step the treant took towards him as he realized the ancient treant before him, was a Transcendent-level being.

Sweat oozed from his pores as he felt the pressure of the ancient treant's gaze that was filled with age and wisdom.

\”Answer me this, human. Did you come from the surface?\” The ancient treant sounded like a wizened old man nearing the end of its lifespan.

\”Yes,\” Leon answered honestly. This was a being they could not afford to offend.

The ancient treant wanted to refute the human's answer, but there was no reason to lie in front of its presence. After a short lapse of silence, it asked, \”Why have you come?\”

\”Originally, to understand the history of a bygone era and use its knowledge to improve humanity. Now, we are trying to find a way back to the surface.\” Leon answered, before coming up with a question of his own. \”I wonder if Elder can answer my doubts. Are you all survivors from the Nova Empire? And are you a treant or a human?\”

\”Neither. We are something that exists in between, born out of necessity for survival due to the harsh living conditions of the underground. To be exact, we are not survivors of the Nova Empire, but their descendants. You may refer to me as Elder Evergreen. I am the eldest of this small village.\” The ancient treant said.

Leon looked at the ancient treant with doubt, suspecting that it might have missed an 'N' in front of its name. There was nothing green about it and was assuming a withering yellow appearance instead. Knowing it was extremely rude to think as such, Leon quickly banished the thought. He was thankful that the ancient treant seems very accommodating and didn't question him about the 'spy' because even he doesn't know what the spy ran off to.

\”Elder Evergreen, dating back, it must have been at least 10,000 years since the fall of the Nova Empire. I'm not sure what the surface was like back then, but it is definitely not a land of death anymore.\” Leon said, but then thought about the Wildlands and added, \”At least not the same as before. Have you never thought about returning to the surface?\”

Elder Evergreen looked at Leon deeply, before explaining, \”It's not that we have never thought about it, but we can't even if we wanted to. I don't know how you made it here, child, but I commend you for it. We are surrounded by powerful predators as you should know. Even contact between villages is impossible.\”

'There were multiple villages?' Leon's eyes flickered.

However, Leon was confused by the elder's words. Even without confronting the ants, they should be able to return to the surface by burrowing through the earth above. After all, the earth above the elder tree shouldn't be as hard as the earth at the bottom.

He was going to continue his questioning, but he noticed that the people on both sides had been feeling very jittery like they were waiting for a verdict that decides their life and death. \”Elder Evergreen, I would like to continue our talk, but we should probably give our people a peace of mind first, right?\”

Elder Evergreen nodded.

\”Mm, indeed, we should figure out how we should resolve the conflict between our two sides first. It is rare for us to have intelligent visitors who can speak our language. For that, I would like to welcome you all to stay and talk more. However, that's not possible until you provide an answer that can satisfy me or prove your claim on the spy to my fellow villagers. After all, they don't believe you and their anger is not easily abated by words alone. So, do you have an answer that can abate their anger?\”

\”I don't know whether I can abate their anger, but I can quench their thirst. As for the spy... I have an idea.\”

Leon rubbed his chin while glancing at the tree spirit.