Chapter 86 : Chapter 86
Chapter 86: Tree Sea Village
Early the next morning, Ryan and the others woke up early.
They had already finished all the necessary preparations the night before and placed everything aboard the Soaring.
After everyone had breakfast, they went to the city gate.
After waiting for ten minutes, Lia and Mira finally arrived late.
“Sorry, Ryan. We’re late.”
“It’s fine. We arrived early.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Ryan took out the Soaring.
The moment the Soaring appeared, its enormous shadow loomed over everyone’s heads.
“Ryan, is this your airship?” Lia asked.
“That’s right. This is the Soaring. Will it be all right to take it to the elven village?” Ryan nodded slightly.
“Of course it will. I was originally planning to rent an airship, but since you have your own, we won’t need to rent one.”
Lia smiled as she spoke.
Because the Elf Race was hidden deep in the forest, the teleportation circles in human towns could not send them to their destination.
To reach the elven village, the fastest method was to have an elf lead the way, take an airship, land outside the village, and then walk into the barrier on foot.
With that, everyone entered the Soaring one after another.
The next moment, the Soaring slowly rose into the air.
When it reached an altitude of about fifty meters above the ground, it activated its cloaking device.
The massive airship instantly turned invisible.
After that, the Soaring flew toward the elven village under Lia’s guidance.
This voyage was expected to take one day.
Fortunately, the Soaring had plenty of entertainment options inside, so no one needed to worry about being bored.
Fina and the other three women soon pulled Lia and Mira over to teach them mahjong.
Because there were three extra people, Ryan had Fina use magic to make a deck of playing cards.
The remaining three, including Ryan, played Dou Dizhu together.
For a time, the entire interior of the Soaring seemed just like a chess-and-card room from Blue Star in his previous life.
One table played mahjong.
The other table played Dou Dizhu.
......
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, a day went by, and everyone arrived at the elven village.
Outside the village, the Soaring slowly descended.
Because there was a barrier ahead, everyone had to continue the next stretch of the journey on foot.
Fortunately, Lia was leading the way.
After spending half an hour walking, everyone finally arrived at the elven village.
“Ryan, everyone, this is the elven village—Tree Sea Village!” Lia introduced it to them.
Tree Sea Village was located deep within an ancient forest that stretched for thousands of miles. The surrounding trees averaged over fifty meters in height, with trunks more than three meters in diameter. Their interwoven canopies formed a dense ceiling overhead, allowing sunlight to scatter down only in sparse patches through the gaps.
The village covered an area of roughly half a square kilometer. It had no obvious boundary and seemed to merge completely with the forest.
Under Lia’s guidance, everyone passed through the barrier outside the village.
Once they entered the barrier, the true appearance of the elven village came into view.
The elves’ houses were built directly on living trees, with each dwelling corresponding to one ancient tree.
The main structure of each house was formed from branches naturally extending from the trunk. Without damaging the trees, the elves trimmed and bent the outward-growing branches so that they formed the framework of the house.
The spaces between the branches were connected with nets woven from vines, and the mesh was filled with moss and leaves, providing insulation and protection from the wind.
The floors were platforms paved with wooden planks. Gaps were left between the planks so that rainwater could seep through and avoid accumulating.
Along the edges of the platforms were railings half a meter high. The railings were made from bent slender branches and wrapped with ivy, making them both safe and decorative.
There were two ways to connect the platforms to the ground. One was a spiral wooden staircase fixed to the trunk, with steps carved from branches. The other was a rope ladder made from vines. It was normally drawn up and lowered when needed, suitable for quickly moving up and down in emergencies.
The walls of the houses were made from translucent pressed leaves. After special treatment, they became as tough as paper. They could block wind and rain while allowing light to pass through, so the interior did not need additional lighting tools.
Square windows were opened in the walls. The windows had no glass; instead, they were hung with curtains woven from spiderwebs. Dewdrops clung to the curtains, allowing them to filter out intense light.
The position of each window was arranged according to the direction in which the tree grew, ensuring that the interior was well ventilated.
The roof was the most distinctive part of each house. It was formed entirely from the branches and leaves of the tree crown.
The elves guided the branches to grow above the houses, allowing them to naturally form sloped roofs. The gaps between the branches and leaves were filled with moss, creating a natural waterproof layer.
A small hole was usually left at the center of the roof to serve as a chimney and discharge smoke from inside the house. The elves used specially made smokeless wood, which produced very little smoke when burned and did not affect the growth of the trees.
When Ryan heard Lia explain this part, he could not help laughing.
“Ryan, what are you laughing at?” Lia asked.
“Nothing. I just originally thought elves didn’t light fires, didn’t eat meat, and only lived on fruit and dew.”
“Hahaha, how could that be? We use fire too, you know.”
Lia smiled gently.
Indeed, the Elf Race had been hidden in the forest all year round and did not communicate with the outside world.
As a result, the outside world had many speculations about the Elf Race.
The Human Race only had a lifespan of around a hundred years.
The vast majority of humans would never see an elf in their entire lives, so it was not strange for them to think that way.
Lia continued introducing the village’s buildings.
The interior layout of the houses was simple and practical.
At the entrance was a small hall. The floor was covered with mats woven from dried grass, embroidered with plant patterns.
On the left was a resting area with several low stools carved from tree trunks, their seats covered in beast hide.
On the right was a storage area where clay jars and vine-woven baskets were placed, storing food and tools.
At the innermost part was the bedroom, with a wooden bed. The mattress was filled with feathers and dried grass, and a small shelf stood at the head of the bed, holding an oil lamp and a few personal items.
At the center of the village stood the largest ancient tree. Its trunk was over ten meters in diameter, and it was around ten thousand years old.
The village’s public buildings were constructed on this tree, including the Elder Council Hall, the altar, and the school.
Around the council hall’s platform were twelve thick branches serving as pillars. The top was formed from vines and leaves into a dome, and at the center stood a round stone table where the elders held meetings.
The altar was located at the highest part of the ancient tree, close to the canopy. Six stone pillars stood on the platform, carved with the totems of the Elf Race.
The school was in the middle section of the trunk. It had three connected platforms, and on each platform was a smooth stone slab used as a blackboard. The elven children studied writing and knowledge of the forest there.
The houses in the village were connected by rope bridges. The ropes were made by soaking vines in tree sap, making them tough and difficult to break.
Wooden planks were laid across the bridge surfaces, and vine-woven railings lined both sides.
The elves moved between the various houses using these rope bridges. When someone walked across them, the bridges would sway slightly, but they were extremely sturdy.
The entire village had no artificially excavated roads. On the ground, there were only small paths worn down by footsteps, with wildflowers and herbs growing on both sides.
The elves’ houses grew together with the trees. As the trees grew thicker year after year, the houses would adjust their structures accordingly, always maintaining harmony with nature.
Ryan and the others observed the elven architecture like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden for the first time.
Although these buildings were not as luxurious as Human Race architecture, they looked extraordinarily harmonious within this natural forest.
Lia had already informed the village in advance that guests would be visiting.
Mira had also prepared accommodations for Ryan and the others.
Ryan’s group was assigned a very large house.
Of course, this house was also built halfway up a great tree.
From the windows, they could see the entire village.
Fina and the other three women were also delighted by the scenery.
By the time Ryan and the others arrived, it was already evening.
Although everyone had traveled by airship the entire way, staying inside the airship for such a long time had still been quite tiring.
Therefore, Lia told Ryan and the others to rest for the night first and leave everything else until the next day.
Ryan immediately agreed.
After that, they went to rest early in the house Lia had arranged.
Because they were away from home, Ryan did not get intimate with his wives.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, everyone woke up, and their energy had already recovered.
The fatigue from the long journey had faded.
Following Lia’s instructions, Mira led Ryan and the others to the place where Lia had discovered the abnormality.
However, behind Mira followed another elf with the same golden hair.
Ryan looked at her appearance and saw that she resembled Lia somewhat.
He already had some guesses about her identity.
“Are you the adventurer Sister Lia brought back?” she asked.
“That’s right. My name is Ryan, and they are my wives.” Ryan nodded slightly.
“Lord Ryan, this is Lady Lia’s younger sister, Talia,” Mira introduced her to Ryan.
“Miss Talia, hello.” Ryan nodded in greeting.
“I wonder how strong you are. Why would my sister take an interest in you?” Talia frowned slightly and challenged him.
What an obnoxious brat. She is not cute at all!
Ryan grumbled inwardly.
For Lia’s sake, Ryan did not bother arguing with the child.
“Hey! Talia, you are not allowed to be rude to Ryan!”
Lia ran over from the distance.
She had not even arrived yet, but her voice had already reached them.
When Talia heard Lia’s words, she shrank her shoulders.
The next moment, Lia had already run to Talia’s side and bowed to Ryan in apology.
“Sorry, Ryan. Please forgive Talia’s rudeness!”
“She is only a 180-year-old child. Please don’t take her seriously.”
Ryan did not know what expression he should make.
Lia, do you even hear what you are saying?
A 180-year-old child?
Fine.
For the Elf Race, which had lifespans of over a thousand years, someone who was not yet an adult at 180 was indeed still a child.
“Uh... Don’t worry. I didn’t take her seriously...” Ryan said quietly.
Lia turned back and scolded her. “Talia, why did you come here?”
“Tch.”
Talia clicked her tongue. “I just wanted to see what kind of adventurer Sister Lia brought back. Besides... I’m not the only one who came!”
As soon as she finished speaking, Lia suddenly saw the shadow behind Talia.
“Father!?”
The person standing behind Talia was none other than Lia’s father, the chieftain of the Elf Race.