Chapter 222: The Path Ahead is Clear
Reputation Title: Forest Sage
Acquisition Conditions: One who loves all natural things must adhere to the ancient way of balance, successfully educate and guide the creatures of the forest, protect and govern a lush forest territory, and ultimately succeed in hearing the revelation of the natural source.
Title Effects:
- Prestige Imprint: The name "Forest Sage" is celebrated among nature's kindred and Druidic sects, bringing respect and followers.
- Nature Affinity: Effects are significantly enhanced when casting nature spells, and resonance with natural energy deepens.
- Forest Domain Protection: Within the territory's range, the natural balance can be adjusted on a small scale, influencing weather phenomena and vegetation growth.
- Sage's Enlightenment: Can consume natural source to awaken trees within the territory into Treant guards. Consumption depends on tree species and age.
——
Chen Yu froze in place, half a dried bone still stuck outside his gel, not yet swallowed.
Huh?
He had become a Forest Sage?
This was way too hasty. A slime whose mind was full of grand ambitions, gold coins, and magic organs had actually become a sage.
"Slurp~"
He hurriedly sucked the remaining piece of bone into his belly, then widened his round little eyes, staring at the newly appeared title on his panel.
"Four effects?" He counted carefully. This title was even more exaggerated than the 'Slime Lord' title he had obtained before.
Could this be… the Extraordinary title needed for promotion to Golden-tier?
In other words, as long as his base level reached Silver Lv.9, he could directly use this title to advance to Gold?
Chen Yu's little eyes instantly lit up.
Great, this is good.
He was all too happy to be a sage.
He carefully examined the title effects. Apart from the somewhat abstract "Prestige Imprint," the other three effects—"Nature Affinity," "Forest Domain Protection," and "Sage's Enlightenment"—were unexpectedly very practical.
Especially "Sage's Enlightenment," which could directly nurture Treants.
He finally understood where those Elves got so many Treant guards from;
they were grown like this.
And judging by the description, the older the tree, the more powerful the awakened Treant, and the greater the consumption of natural source.
Although he still didn't know exactly what 'natural source' was, it didn't stop him from first imagining the spectacular scene of awakening an entire Golden-tier army composed of ancient trees.
He happily fantasized about the Slime Kingdom's bright future. Coming back to his senses, he remembered he had almost forgotten his newly acquired World Tree talent.
He felt the newborn power within his body.
If "Hixiulong Part One" represented the fertile soil that nourishes all things and promotes plant growth, then "Hixiulong Part Two" was like the morning dew of life essence condensed upon the World Tree.
Chen Yu suddenly had a strong sense of déjà vu and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
"This thing… isn't it just a resurrection coin?"
……
Golden Radiance Valley, Silver Song Forest.
In this forest, ancient trees reached for the sky, their branches and leaves weaving into a dense canopy, allowing only dappled sunlight to sprinkle down like shattered gold.
A clear stream babbled past, emitting a pleasant tinkling sound, attracting birds to flit from the branches, curiously perching on the eaves of a forest tree house.
Inside the tree house naturally formed within a giant oak, chairs and tables woven from vines were arranged, along with some fluorescent mushrooms emitting a soft glow.
An elderly Dryad, his face covered with bark-like wrinkles and wearing a simple linen robe, was currently sitting cross-legged before a floating crystal ball.
Seemingly awakened by the crisp bird songs outside, his originally closed eyes slowly opened, a flash of surprise and confusion passing through his deep eyes.
Nature… is cheering?
A pure natural source had appeared in the northeast direction.
This aura carried the dampness and vitality of the swamp… Was it that fellow Viola?
"Not her. It's that a new sage has been born in that swamp."
A woman's voice suddenly echoed in the tree house. In the air before the elderly Dryad, green light points gathered like fireflies, rapidly sketching the form of a tall, elegant female Elf.
The elder was slightly taken aback and looked at her. "How do you know?"
The Elven woman curled the corner of her mouth into a smile, her spiritual form lightly floating to sit on a vine chair. "By looking at intelligence reports, of course, my dear Elder Alders."
"You haven't been staying in Silver Song Forest for too long without going out, have you? Don't tell me you still don't know about the Slime King who emerged in the eastern swamplands and has been causing quite a stir."
Alders flashed a look of embarrassment and coughed lightly. "Ahem… I have indeed been deeply engrossed in researching ancient tree runes lately, not paying excessive attention to the outside world."
"So the other old folks already know?"
"I'm afraid you are probably the last to know. But you are also the one among us closest to that swamp."
As she spoke, the Elven woman's tone became slightly more formal. "The Council's intention is to hope you can represent us in extending an invitation to that Slime Kingdom. It would also be a good opportunity to visit Viola along the way."
"You should understand the importance of a new sage to the Forest Sage Council, and to the entire nature faction."
Elder Alders nodded slightly upon hearing this. "I understand. A new Forest Sage indeed cannot be ignored. I will set out for the swamplands as soon as possible."
"And incidentally, assess whether that Slime truly possesses the qualifications to be a sage."
……
Storm Territory, Hera's Mage Tower.
In the top-floor room of this mage tower, the walls were lined with bookshelves. Near the window, several magic notebooks and a meticulously drawn border map were spread open on the desk.
The fire in the fireplace burned quietly, emitting a warm glow. Princess Louisa, who was believed to have gone missing, was now wearing a simple dark blue mage robe, sitting upright at the desk. Her golden hair was casually tied back, revealing her focused profile.
She held a tome on ancient runology, her fingers occasionally tracing the complex patterns on the pages, her brows slightly furrowed as if pondering some difficult problem.
At that moment, a few crisp bird calls came from outside the window, drawing Louisa's gaze away from the page and towards the arched stone window.
Looking into the distance, one could see the continuous snow-capped mountain ridges of the Storm Territory and the dense forest at the foot of the mountains, edged with gold by the setting sun—a vast and magnificent view.
A blue robin, bathed in the twilight of the sunset, flew past, passing through the arched stone window and into the room.
It landed on the thickly carpeted floor, its form twisting and stretching, rapidly transforming into a half-Elf woman wearing a mysterious purple mage robe.
This was precisely the Heretical Believer that Count Bran had previously feared, also a core member of the magic society—Celeste.
A half-Elf mage without a surname.
Louisa put down the book in her hand and looked at her, asking calmly, "Any new movements from the Border Garrison recently?"
Celeste casually walked over and sat on the bed, shrugging. "Same old story. That old fox Lide is stuck in Shield River City like a nail, just waiting for us to walk into the trap, refusing to take half a step away."
"But, I do have a more interesting piece of news here, about your partner."
Princess Louisa was slightly startled and immediately asked, "Those Slimes? What happened to them?"
Celeste handed a folded intelligence slip to Louisa. "You should know those guys have been making quite a stir in the Dark Realm lately, waging war against the vampire clan and the Goblins. Guess what happened?"
She deliberately paused, looking into Louisa's eyes. "They breached that fortress that even the Kingdom's legions couldn't crack."
Princess Louisa took the slip, her eyes quickly scanning the information. Her expression instantly turned serious. "Are you sure the source of this information is reliable? The defenses of the Graystone Bulwark…"
Celeste spread her hands. "This came from the mouths of those mercenaries who barely escaped the Dark Realm."
"Although you can't fully believe what mercenaries say, overall, it's probably about fifty to sixty percent credible."
She tilted her head, observing the surprise Louisa couldn't hide on her face, and teased, "What about you, my dear Princess? When you sought them out back then, you probably didn't expect these Slimes to be this formidable, did you?"
"Now it's like playing with fire. Letting them pass through the Storm Fortress might not necessarily be a good thing for the current White Horse Kingdom."
Louisa glanced at her, her tone still calm. "Weren't you always clamoring about leaving the Kingdom to go treasure hunting in the Golden Radiance Valley? Why the sudden concern for the Kingdom's future?"
Celeste let out a light sigh.
"Me? I can leave anytime."
"But you, my Princess, you should know better than anyone what outcome awaits you if this plan fails."
"The Demon's forces have already infiltrated the Kingdom's upper echelons. The foolish populace is blinded by lies. If you, accused of treason, fail, what you'll face isn't exile, but likely the guillotine."
She looked at Louisa, her tone uncharacteristically serious. "As a friend, let me remind you one last time."
"Stop caring about Demons, Slimes, and the Kingdom's future. These aren't things you should be concerned about. Put all this down and leave the White Horse Kingdom with me, leave this vortex."
"With my abilities and connections, I can at least guarantee you leave alive, assume a new identity, and live out your days in peace."
"You've always liked studying nature magic and ancient knowledge, right? I happen to have some connections with some forest dwellers in the Western Mountains. I can try to get them to accept you, and you can continue your research in some tranquil forest."
Princess Louisa slowly shook her head. "No need, Celeste. Thank you for your kindness, but I cannot leave."
"For what? Is it royal authority you want, or power?" Celeste asked, puzzled.
Louisa was silent for a moment before speaking softly. "Maybe a bit of both. But more than that, it's that I can't let go."
She pushed her chair back and stood up, slowly walking to the window. She gazed at the scenery outside, lost in thought for a long while before speaking.
"Some bards say that those who lose their homeland are like footless birds that can never land, forced to fly endlessly, even if they don't know where they are going."
"You and I are different, Celeste. You are a traveler from the distant Ancient Tree Council. You may have curiosity and appreciation for this land, but it's hard to have that blood-deep sense of belonging."
"This is my hometown, the land connected to me by blood. I cannot stand by and watch it be dragged step by step into the abyss of destruction by those shadows from the Abyss, while I turn and flee."
Celeste listened, then helplessly spread her hands. "Alright, that's a lofty enough reason. I thought you, like us half-Elves, would more or less harbor some aversion to the land that birthed you."
Princess Louisa, upon hearing this, gave a light laugh and retorted, "If there was an opportunity now to make those Council Elves in the Ancient Tree Council step down, what would you choose to do? Would you still leave Silverleaf County?"
Celeste's face instantly stiffened. She opened her mouth, finally slumping back against the headboard in defeat. "Alright, you win. You've convinced me."
Perhaps it was truly as Louisa said;
deep down, she actually hoped to return to Silverleaf County one day.
But she quickly returned to the original question. "But after saying all that, you still haven't told me how you plan to deal with those Slimes that exceeded expectations. They now possess the power to breach the Graystone Bulwark."
Princess Louisa looked down at the intelligence slip in her hand, her fingertips lightly tapping the window frame, lost in thought.
Only after a long while did she slowly say, "You must have also heard that those Slimes seem to have some connection with Elven forces."
"At the very least, compared to those Demons from the Abyss who revel in chaos, I am more willing to try getting along with Slimes who possess a certain degree of order and seem close to nature."
Celeste shook her head helplessly. "So there's no solution? Just take it one step at a time?"
Princess Louisa sighed lightly. "Everyone underestimated the Slimes in the swamp, including me."
"Perhaps I have a way, but I'm not sure if I can manage it."
"Or perhaps there's no need to exhaust myself trying to deal with them. Who knows? The trajectory of fate is always full of surprises."
Celeste stared at her for a few seconds, finally sighed, and stood up. "Alright, I've said all I needed to say."
"Remember, at the first sign of trouble, I will leave the Kingdom immediately. Don't expect me to come back to save you, risking my life out of some pitiful sense of friendship."
Princess Louisa looked at her and nodded sincerely. "That is also what I hope. Your safe departure would be the best news for me."
Celeste gave her a deep look and said nothing more.
Her form twisted and shrank once again, transforming back into the blue robin. With a clear chirp, it flapped its wings, flew through the window, and disappeared into the evening sky.
Thus, the room was left with only Princess Louisa once more.
She watched the figure of the robin until it vanished at the horizon, then sat back in her chair and picked up the unfinished runology tome.
Only, her gaze did not fall on the pages. Instead, it drifted towards the distant mountains and forest gradually sinking into the twilight outside the window, and she fell into prolonged contemplation.