The Amber Sword

Chapter 231 – The city of trees (2)

The World Tree’s wide tree crown extended in all directions, seemingly unmoving against the wind, while its dense leaves made one think that it was over a hundred years old. Sunlight pierced through the gaps between the branches and leaves like golden swords. The solitary tree was grown in an empty clearing surrounded by the forest’s trees, and it gave a feeling of tranquility.

Brendel gazed at the leaves and found green Runic patterns on each leaf, as though they were veins spread throughout the tree crown.

An ancient tree was quietly sitting in the center of a mystical Magic Formation.

Romaine’s eyes were crossed with her jaws slack. It was as though she was uttering a silent ‘whoa~~~’. Scarlett opened her eyes so large that her round irises could be seen clearly, but she less affected when compared to Romaine. There was indeed surprise in her eyes, but she did not show any other emotions beyond it. After all, the things that she had encountered after following Brendel in the Dark Forest were always unusual

Medissa completely kept her composure as a citizen of the Silver Lineage, though her eyes glinted once.

The only person who maintained a true poker face was the older Wild Elf sister, Felaern. Rather than say that it was her personality, she was someone who had been part of the Planewalker’s system and Laws for a far longer time compared to Medissa who only recently became a ‘Knight’. Compared to a World Tree growing in front of her eyes, perhaps having ‘immortality’ was something more incredulous.

“B-Brendel, that thing that you threw down to the hole was a seed!?” Romaine was the first to speak out.

She was showing exuberant curiosity instead of having confusion on her face, perhaps feeling that Brendel had once again done something remarkable.

“How did this tree pop out, it grew so quickly! Am I dreaming, Brendel, pinch me now!” She hit Brendel’s arm.

The youth came back to his senses and stared at her with narrowed eyes for a few seconds. Her thoughts were not something a normal person could understand. Despite encountering Madara’s undead for a few times in Bucce, she seemed to be fearless and asked whether the undead was interested in eating them. Expressing her curiosity was added with ‘wow, this is amazing, Brendel!’.

“My Lord,” Medissa asked with a certain hint of intelligence glinting in her eyes, not directly making a conclusion, “this is the World Tree in the Loop of Trade Winds?”

“No, rather than say it’s that World Tree……” Brendel looked up at the tree that could be described as ‘huge’ and shook his head.

[Indeed, it resembles that World Tree in Valhalla, having branches that intersect with each other and a similarly large tree crown, and I can say that it’s a mini version. But the shape of this…… fortress. It looks like there’s a large platform formed with branches and covered by the leaves above it, complete with a courtyard surrounded with wall-like offshoot twigs. There are handles to climb up to the top of the walls. If I look at it with military eyes, the walls even have parapets along with guard rails.]

In other words, it’s a natural fortress.

“This looks like a small castle, how pretty……” Scarlett muttered as she was lost in her thoughts. She thought of fairy tales where a princess was sleeping in a castle within the deep forest. This place had a lush green color that could only be found in a dream. She went into battle from a young age with her hair tied up like a true Highlander’s daughter, but she would sometimes think back on the stories in her childhood.

[Instead of going out there to fight, I would rather be an ordinary girl with the right to dream. Though, if my Lord is willing to allow me to have a castle like a princess……]

The red-haired girl could not help but fall into a lull.

Romaine, on the other hand, was starting to circle around the tree. It was clear that she wanted to climb it. Suddenly, she exclaimed adorably as though she had discovered a chest full of treasure: “There’s a staircase here, Brendel!”

Indeed, there was an obscure spiraling ladder that seemed to invite guests— or perhaps the owner of the tree. The staircase was formed naturally from the vines hanging from the tree, but they did not look crude and instead made one think that it was formed by human hands. The spacing between each step was made just right and it was pretty and refined. Brendel cast a glance at the steps and knew that it would not require much effort for one to move up the steps. It even gave out a warm and inviting air about it, and it did not make one feel like it was a trap.

“Can we go up?” Romaine blinked her eyes and asked with a tilted head, her alluring fringe falling sideways to reveal her smooth forehead.

The youth cast his eyes back out to the people behind him of reflex. It was a habit in the game where he would ask for a consensus from the other gamers, though he immediately remembered he was the only ‘player’ here. A quiet princess of the Silver Elves, a ‘very annoying but would not disobey his orders Wild Elf Secretary’ or ‘maid who shadows him all the time’, and Scarlett who would always follow him. Romaine would also adhere to his orders if he really meant them as well.

[I definitely need some time to change this habit.]

He could not help but shake his head with a smile.

But Medissa misunderstood his intentions and put on a faint smile: “The Silver Elves are very sensitive towards the scent of nature. This tree gives me the feeling of warmth, not one of friendliness but more of a ‘home. It seems to be inviting us.”

“Yes. To tell the truth, I feel the same.” Brendel nodded, but he hid his true feelings about it. The tree was more of a subordinate as the city’s core was bound to him. He was certain like he could control what the tree could do; he even felt he could command the spiral staircase.

[Pull back.]

There was a light rustling sound as he ordered in his mind. A miracle happened. The hanging vines were pulled back to the branches as though they were alive, and they now appeared to be plants growing on the branches instead.

“Ack!” Romaine got a fright and hurriedly hid behind Brendel’s back.

“You can order it to move?” Medissa asked in surprise.

The youth nodded. He was also very curious what the tree city had, and this curiosity had prediction mixed into it. If he was right about it, then the entire situation would be outrageous. He quickly responded.

“Let’s take a look.”

The others were more or less curious about the tree, and even the stoic Felaern could not help but observe the vine staircase that was forming again. The steps were sturdy and as predicted, it did not require much effort to climb them. It was almost as if the tree was lifting them up and everyone quickly reached the end of the steps.

What greeted their eyes was a circular courtyard shrouded under the packed leaves. It was about a hundred paces wide and slightly more spacious than Brendel thought. What surprised the group of people was a layer of flagstones in the center. They thought they would only be wood-related materials, but there was a small fountain erected on top of the flagstones and glittering cobblestones in the pool of water. At one side of the courtyard was a hall; its design resembled the Elven architecture. It was made out of only wooden materials with slender beams that supported the high roof to form a structure full of elegance.

“An Elven Great Hall.” Medissa showed a look of disbelief as she recognized the building’s purpose: “This tree is actually a Mana Conflux Town?”

“I’m afraid you are completely right……” Brendel felt like he was struck by an iron ball.

At first he was just suspicious, but he was certain when he saw the great hall. Valhalla was actually a living city growing on a tree, and this city grew naturally on its own and did not require anyone to build on it. The leaves could provide shelter from the weather and the design of the city allowed it to be defended easily.

[This is too freaking cool!]

This was a fief that Brendel desired. Even though Valhalla was still small and probably less than thirty meters wide, it already had the initial shape of a magic city.

When the youth entered the hall, he quickly discovered a crystal embedded in a pillar that was grown out from a branch, and it projected the entire structure of the city. The courtyard was empty, but there were additional steps leading to a hollow section of the tree, distributed into naturally formed rooms where citizens could live in, as well as warehouses.

The Great Hall also had a passage leading to three rooms below it, and these rooms contained natural Mana Pools. These pools were connected to the ancient tree’s roots, and thus they were creating an endless supply of Mana. They were also called Mana Nests, as Nests could be safely installed there, or these Mana pools could be converted to create Mana Crystals or an alchemist’s laboratory.

“There are three Mana Pools? Surely the size of this Conflux Town should only be an elementary Arcadian Grade fief!?” Medissa exclaimed in shock.

“Arc-adian Grade?” Several of the girls repeated her words and looked at the Elven princess with incomprehension: “Mana something town?”