Volume 4: The End of the World Chapter 2 Tree Spirit
"Wrap your headscarf tightly so that others can't see your eyes."
The forest elf with a wolf head tattoo on his face turned his head slightly and whispered to the human girl he was holding, who seemed to be still sleepy.
The two people who walked out of the tree hole were walking along the aerial bridge made of vines and branches, from the top of a giant tree that required seven or eight people to hug it, to the crown of another relatively shorter tree, but it could still be called a giant tree.
The sky bridge that looks wide enough for a carriage to run on is not man-made, but the natural product of the giant tree's growth.
That's right, even though there are handrails on this bridge and a fall-prevention net made of vines under the bridge, they are also products of natural growth.
According to an ancient contract, the forest elves living in Ravenwood are not allowed to do anything that harms the forest, including cutting down trees and using fire. However, wood and fire are the cornerstones of civilization.
Therefore, as compensation, even though there is no building made of wood or stone in Ravenwood, there is a living city that grows entirely on the power of the World Tree - the Holy Tree City.
In the belief of the forest elves, the will of the World Tree is revered as the "Great Mother". Based on the prayers and supplications of the Forest Druids, she will grow the infrastructure needed for the lives of her people, and will also let the excess parts of those cities wither and die.
It can be said that the Holy Tree City is undergoing subtle changes every moment, every minute, and every second. If this change is extended to the scale of seasons, years, or even centuries, it can be said that this is a city that can never be accurately mapped.
It is also for this reason that Yinlis Hemer, the girl who bears the destiny of the "Eyes of God", chose this city as the first stop of her crowning pilgrimage to obtain the blessings of the seven holy spirits.
"But Mr. Quill, why did our whereabouts get exposed on only the third day since we arrived here?"
The girl named Yin Lisi, who inherited the ancient hero surname of the Judgment Seat, asked in a low voice.
"We can discuss these things when we are in a safe place. You should first use your ability to see if there are any sickly skinny people nearby."
The forest elf man named Quill immediately whispered.
As he spoke, he seemed to be casually alert to the residents coming and going around him.
The most notable feature of the Wild Hunters under the Holy Tree Duke is that they are thin and sickly. After all, they are the troops that often have to kill people among the forest elves. If they cannot keep themselves hungry at all times, their fighting spirit will drop to an unacceptable level.
"Um……"
Yinlis nodded.
Although her entire face was covered by the headscarf and her eyes were completely obscured, as the holder of the rare ability "Eye of God", being able to see through several pieces of cloth to gain a wider field of vision was only one of the most insignificant abilities of this ability.
After Yinlis looked around for a long time, she pulled Quill's hand and whispered:
"On the main platform of the lower seven floors, there are nine forest elves with obviously abnormal figures guarding the fork in the road, and more are walking up along the main road. But because it is too far away, I can't see the specific type of magic reaction clearly... Could it be the Wild Hunt under the Duke of the Holy Tree?"
Hearing this, Quill looked down at the tree trunk. Then, the wolf tattoo on his face slowly detached from his skin as if it had come alive, struggling to float about half a centimeter in front of him, making a low roar.
At the same time, his eyes turned into the eyes of a wild beast flashing with ferocious animality.
With the help of the beast's vision, Quill also saw that at the fork in the road, there were several forest elves standing there, wearing animal skins and carrying bone weapons. Even though they were so far away, when Quill saw them, he could feel the extremely wild and brutal aura lingering around them.
The change in the tattoo on his face only lasted for about a second or two. As Quill withdrew his gaze, the floating soul-state wolf soul changed back to the previous tattoo on his face, as if everything before was just an illusion.
"It's probably true... Damn it, that fork in the road is the only way for these trees to return to the ground. We are trapped here... We shouldn't have chosen to base ourselves on the tree to save trouble."
Quill gritted his teeth.
"How about climbing down the tree trunk?"
Seeing Quill's reaction at the moment, Yin Lis asked in a low voice.
"We will be discovered by the tree spirits. Since there are so many Wild Hunt here, the leader must be Forest Druid. They can communicate with the spirits of the World Tree's saplings. If we climb down the trunk, we will probably be blocked by them before we get back to the ground."
"Then...fly down?"
Yin Lisi asked in a slightly louder voice.
"Can you use flying magic?"
Quill asked back.
Yin Liss shook his head with a somewhat depressed look on his face.
Although Yinlis had inherited the rare "Eye of God", she was only an apprentice-level magic chanter. Rather, it was because she had inherited the "Eye of God" that she had no way of going to the Star Lighthouse to perform the promotion ceremony to resonate with the destined constellation. Therefore, for so many years, her magic power level had only remained at the level of an apprentice who had received magic enlightenment as a child.
After being depressed for about three seconds, Yin Lisi suddenly looked at Quill with some expectation and asked:
"But I heard that forest elves can fly? They can just grow eagle wings from their backs..."
Although he couldn't see the other person's expression, Quill could still feel some excitement from her tone.
Obviously, compared to the "Wild Hunt" troops whose brutality she had only occasionally heard of, being able to jump down from here and soar in the sky might arouse more excitement in this young girl who was not very worldly-wise.
Really, doesn't this silly kid know that he is in an extremely dangerous situation? Or are all the guys who can be recognized by the "Eye of God" and can go on the coronation parade like this?
Thinking of this, Quill began to worry about the future of his organization.
"And not... The tattoo of the Great Falcon Spirit is engraved on the body to summon wings to fly. That is the heritage of the Eagle Feather Clan. And as you can see, I am from the Wolf Tongue Clan."
Quill pointed at the wolf-face tattoo on his face, leaving no room for the other party to imagine, and directly dispelled the unrealistic idea in Yin Lis's mind.
He didn't even bother to tell the other party that even if he was a member of the Eagle Feather Clan, it would be very conspicuous to choose to fly out in full view of everyone.
"All right……"
Yin Lis lowered her head slightly when she heard that. Compared to not being able to escape from danger, she seemed more disappointed that she couldn't see the forest elves grow wings and fly.
"Those Wild Hunts only blocked the exit. Now Forest Druid should be communicating with the tree spirits of these saplings. I guess they will investigate layer by layer later. If that's the case, it will be a big trouble."
Ignoring Yin Lisi who had fallen into depression again, Quill tapped the railing with his fingers anxiously and said.
It was also at this time that a voice suddenly echoed in Quill's mind.
+To all the voters who have made a pledge with Mother, please return to your residence before sunset and wait for the hounds to check. The pests that want to destroy the order of the forest have come to this land. Before those pests are caught, please cooperate with the hounds.+
The voice sounded old, yet it also revealed a certain vitality.
At the same time, on every platform with people on these giant trees, human figures made up of countless emerald green light spots appeared. They lifted their feet and floated in the air, speaking to the people around them in a voice as dense as a swarm of flying bees:
"Please all souls who are not chosen by the Great Mother gather in the square outside the Treetop Temple for inspection. Those who disobey will be branded with the Mark of the Burner and exiled. They will never be allowed to set foot in Ravenwood again for the rest of their lives . Please cooperate."
Other races except forest elves cannot hear the voices of tree spirits, so it summons these souls to inform them.
At this moment, those fragmented souls were like unconscious ghosts, wandering on various platforms, reminding visitors of other races in the standard language of the empire to undergo inspection.
Perhaps seeing that Quill and the others were still standing near the railing, a tree spirit floated over. It floated directly in front of Yin Lisi and mechanically repeated its previous speech.
"Please everyone..."
Seeing this, Quill quickly pressed Yinlis's shoulder and indicated that he would be there soon.
Although these souls were merely summoned by the tree spirits to transmit their voices, and theoretically their IQs were not much higher than those of the elemental spirits, they were also the eyes of the tree spirits to extend their vision. If they attracted the attention of the tree spirits behind them, then everything would be over.
The floating soul turned around and left when he saw this, but before Quel could breathe a sigh of relief, a cold and slender hand suddenly patted his shoulder, causing his hair to stand on end instantly.
Quill clenched his fists and turned his head sharply, and the wolf soul tattoo on his face became visible, allowing him to enter the best fighting state at any time.
However, what appeared behind him was not the Wild Hunt or some other ferocious creature.
Instead, it was a tall human woman with a stern face.
She was wearing light and exquisite leather armor, with a sophisticated crossbow on her back and a silver rapier on her waist.
"I just arrived at the Holy Tree City today. I would like to ask where is the Treetop Temple that thing just mentioned?"
The woman asked.
Quill looked at the human woman in front of him with some confusion.
I just came to Holy Tree City today? That's impossible!
According to the rules, anyone who comes to the Holy Tree City must be accompanied by a local guide so that those outsiders can become familiar with the taboos and customs of this city.
Even the imperial family was no exception to this. Before Irene Riel became the empress ruling the empire, when she was sent to Holy Tree City to recuperate as a member of the crown prince, the current Duke of Holy Tree personally served as her guide.
Quill asked casually:
"Are you alone?"
"Holy... My master said he had something to deal with and asked me to wait for him here. But not long after that, this happened..."
Master? In other words, that was also a human? After all, after the Unification War, Quill had never heard of any human calling a forest elf a master.
So, could it be that this person is a...smuggler who has no idea about the rules of Holy Tree City?
Maybe you can use...
In an instant, Quill's mind formed a plan to escape.
Then he immediately nodded and said:
"No problem. I'm going to the Treetop Temple as well. I can take you there... May I ask what your name is, young lady?"
Quill opened his mouth and tried.
"Nezemare."
The woman answered directly.
"You can call me Nezemar."
