Chapter 161: Golden Oak Queen

Chapter 161 Golden Oak Queen

Daire stood in the courtyard, silver hair fluttering in the wind as she gazed at the towering ancient tree.

Its thick branches and deeply rooted trunk made it seem like it had stood on this land for centuries.

But Daire knew this tree was her "Ai Lan Mom."

Liliya, when will Ai Lan Mom wake up?

The little siren tilted her head upward, her large violet-blue eyes brimming with longing.

She reached out, gently stroking the rough bark just like Ai Lan used to caress her head with vines.

Liliya knelt down, hugging the siren's shoulders while struggling to hide her inner turmoil.

Though she'd lived in the Workshop for some time, she actually knew little about tree spirit transformations.

Luo En had only told her to care for Daire, and as a student, she wouldn't probe into matters involving her master's core secrets.

"Hmm..."

Liliya carefully chose her words, mind racing for the right explanation.

She didn't want to disappoint the child, but neither could she make uncertain promises:

"Ai Lan needs enough time to complete her transformation, just like a butterfly resting in its cocoon. But I believe she'll return to you soon."

Right then, the laboratory door swung open as Luo En stepped out.

Bloodshot eyes and a lab coat stained with traces of various experimental materials betrayed his exhaustion.

"Master!"

Daire immediately turned, anticipation glowing stronger in her eyes:

"When will Ai Lan Mom finally wake up? She's been like this for days, and I miss her so much."

Hearing the question, Luo En approached the tree, frowning slightly.

He extended his right hand, pressing his palm against the rough trunk while activating his "Transcendent Perception."

Spiritual energy, like invisible tendrils, probed inside the tree, sensing its life state and mana flow.

The mana flow within showed a stable spiral pattern, indicating healthy progress. The tree spirit's core consciousness remained dormant, yet its vitality surged stronger than ever before.

He could clearly perceive the ancient power awakening within Ai Lan, gradually reshaping her entire existence.

"Don't worry, Daire."

Withdrawing his hand, Luo En's rare gentle smile softened his features:

"Ai Lan is undergoing a significant transformation. My observations show stable progress. At most two weeks, and she'll return to us in a completely new form."

"Really?"

Daire's eyes sparkled as she tightly hugged Luo En's leg:

"I miss Ai Lan Mom's fruit juice and flower candy! Liliya's are delicious too, but they taste different."

The comment brought a flicker of embarrassment to Liliya's face, though she soon smiled. After all, children speak truth.

Besides, she knew her innate talent for horticulture and plant-related skills paled compared to Ai Lan's, especially when it came to those homemade floral sweets.

Luo En gently ruffled the little siren's silver hair, but his gaze lingered on the ancient tree, his mind drifting back to half a month ago...

...............

Another exhausting night, he'd been experimenting with mana insulation layers.

Dozing briefly over the lab table before resuming testing, he was startled by a knock at the door.

Opening it, he found Ai Lan standing outside.

Her vines swayed hesitantly, trembling with visible unease.

"Ai Lan? Need something this late?"

He felt surprised - tree spirits usually respected his work rhythms, rarely interrupting experiments.

Ai Lan's leaves fluttered, forming words midair:

"Master, I have an important request."

Noticing her unusual emotional fluctuations, Luo En stepped aside to let her in.

Under the cold glow of the Mana Crystal Lamp, the normally tranquil Ai Lan now radiated near-frantic energy.

Her trembling vines and yellowing leaf edges betrayed extreme emotional stress - rare for her species.

"What's happened?"

Closing the door, Luo En's concerned gaze held both curiosity and understanding.

One thick vine trembled, hesitating before finally writing decisively:

"I request you perform bloodlineformulation on me, as you did for Daire."

He wasn't particularly surprised. He'd noticed Ai Lan's subtle changes lately.

Since Liliya's arrival, many tasks once handled by Ai Lan had gradually shifted to the human girl.

Though Ai Lan never showed resentment, careful observation would reveal her increasingly frequent solitary moments and those complex glances toward Liliya.

Even Liliya herself had noticed.

Tree spirits were known for their legendary calm, rarely displaying strong emotions - a temperament that made them natural record-keepers, explaining why many became elders and sages.

Yet here stood a once-reserved, nonchalant tree spirit, tormented by negative emotions and burning with desire for self-transformation.

He found himself marveling at the intensity of Ai Lan's emotions - her current state mirrored human vulnerability perfectly.

Her leaves continued writing:

"I acknowledge my limitations. As an ordinary tree spirit, my usefulness is limited. Liliya manages Daire's care, bookkeeping, and housekeeping. She even learned to make flower candy."

The words seemed painstakingly formed.

Her leaves paused, searching for better expression:

"I've seen little Daire grow stronger through bloodlineformulation. I want to..."

Another pause, finally settling on simple, direct words:

"...become more useful."

Between those few words, Luo En read volumes: yearning for belonging, craving value, even unspoken jealousy and fear.

Ai Lan feared replacement, feared losing the "home" she'd fought so hard to find.

"I understand..."

A soft sigh escaped Luo En. Ai Lan had always been the Workshop's quietest, hardest worker, dutifully handling countless chores without reward.

His tone turned serious:

"You know bloodlineformulation is dangerous, especially for your kind. Tree spirits have complex, delicate structures. Unlike Daire's immature form, your mature state makes the process far riskier."

He paused, locking eyes with her:

"Moreover, complete formulation means marking you with my exclusive brand, just like Daire. I'd gain total control over your life."

This warning was also a test.

Luo En needed confirmation that Ai Lan fully grasped this bond's depth and irreversibility - an inherent trait of bloodlineformulation itself.

That's why he'd abandoned seeking other magecrafted "works" with pre-formed modifiers after understanding this process.

Ai Lan's vines danced firmly, her leaf-writing deeper, more forceful than usual, as if pouring her entire strength into the words:

"I fully understand and accept this, Master. In truth, I crave this connection."

Luo En fell silent, objectively weighing pros and cons in his mind.

Objectively speaking, tree spirits indeed possessed astounding growth potential.

Ai Lan had already shown signs of bloodline awakening and various humanoid evolutions.

Now confirmed through "Transcendent Perception" and "Tracing Mark" abilities, he knew she carried the "Forest nymph" bloodline - an ancient stellar ring-level inheritance.

Once fully awakened, it grants the immense power to command plant life and commune with forests.

If successfully activated, this bloodline would elevate Ai Lan to an entirely new level, not only strengthening the Workshop's defenses but also playing a pivotal role in Luo En's long-term plans.

More importantly, among all beings attached to him, Ai Lan's initial loyalty was already the highest.

Unlike Daire's innocent exuberance or Liliya's initial pragmatic calculations, Ai Lan's bond stemmed purely from gratitude and genuine recognition.

This very purity of emotion had become the strongest tether.

"Fine, I'll help you."

Luo En finally decided:

"I'll design a step-by-step formulation plan to ensure safety throughout the process. However, you must follow my instructions without deviation - even the slightest mistake could lead to severe consequences."

Ai Lan's vines danced joyfully, like a child receiving a cherished toy. Her leaves shimmered with words filled with gratitude:

"Thank you, Master. I will follow every instruction to the letter."

Activating both Transcendent Perception and Tracing Mark, Luo En probed deeper into Ai Lan's bloodline status:

[Tree Spirit "Ai Lan"

Bloodline origins:

Forest Nymph (Stellar Ring)

→ Golden Oak Queen (Quasi-Stellar Ring)

→ Ancient Tree Fairy (Gold-Ring)

→ Common Tree Spirit (Silver-Ring)]

The Golden Oak Queen was a legendary plant species personally blessed by the Earth Mother Goddess, evolving into pure natural beings with dominion over forests and communion with all vegetation.

The Ancient Tree Fairy represented a diluted branch of this bloodline, still retaining formidable plant-controlling abilities.

Other evolutionary paths might exist, but without advancing the Tracing Mark to a higher trait, only the closest natural lineage could be traced for now.

Over the next few days, Luo En immersed himself in Ai Lan's bloodline formulation.

Tree spirits possessed an essence fundamentally different from other creatures, rendering conventional bloodline methods ineffective. After careful study, Luo En devised a three-phase approach:

Phase One: Bloodline Awakening - Using special catalysts to activate Ai Lan's dormant bloodline;

Phase Two: Mana Reconstruction - Guiding the awakened bloodline mana along specific pathways to reshape the tree spirit's internal structure;

Phase Three: Complete Metamorphosis - Entering a pupation-like state for final physical transformation.

To implement this plan, Luo En collected rare natural-attribute materials from the Market:

Essence of Dawn Dew Flowers to enhance vitality;

Sun Tree Roots rich in positive mana;

Fragments of Light Crystals to stabilize bloodline mana flow...

Each material was meticulously purified by Luo En and combined in a precise 1:3:7 golden ratio chimera to create a specialized Bloodline Enhancement Agent tailored for tree spirits.

As Luo En injected this precious substance into Ai Lan's root system, her vines writhed in pain, leaves showing burn marks along their edges...

On the tenth day of bloodline activation, Luo En noticed subtle transformations in Ai Lan.

Her energy fluctuations grew unstable - vines alternately contracting and expanding, runes on leaves flashing faster. Something monumental was approaching.

"Master, I feel a calling."

Words appeared on her leaves, flickering with her unstable energy:

"My bloodline tells me I must enter a special dormant state to complete the final transformation."

Luo En immediately recognized this as the prelude to Phase Three - Complete Metamorphosis.

According to his research, tree spirits needed to undergo a complete "death-and-rebirth" process to awaken their full potential.

"Are you certain you want to begin the final phase now?"

Luo En asked cautiously, "Once started, there's no turning back."

Ai Lan's vines moved with determination:

"Yes, Master. I can feel my mana reaching critical levels. If I delay transformation, the mana overload itself will cause injury."

After experimental verification, Luo En approved her request.

Ai Lan chose the courtyard's center - deep soil, abundant sunlight, and rich groundwater veins made it ideal.

As the last leaf formed, the tree spirit's consciousness settled into slumber, beginning the ultimate transformation.

Externally, she appeared as an ordinary ancient tree, but Luo En knew beneath that thick bark, a new life was gestating.

...

Recollection complete, Luo En sighed softly, gazing at the ancient tree with quiet expectation.

Through Transcendent Perception, he sensed the staggering mana potential within.

Ai Lan's bloodline was evolving toward Ancient Tree Fairy - even surpassing toward Golden Oak Queen.

"Will Ai Lan Mama be different when she wakes up?"

Daire tilted her head, violet-blue eyes shadowed with concern:

"Won't she... forget us?"

Noticing the little siren's anxiety, Luo En shook his head gently:

"Her appearance might change slightly, but her heart will remain the same - the Ai Lan who loves you. Soul essence doesn't vanish with physical transformation, just like when you ate those 'special foods' to grow stronger, you're still our Daire."

Seeming reassured, the little siren nodded happily and bounded toward the house:

"I'll paint a picture for Ai Lan Mama! She'll get it when she wakes up!"

Luo En and Liliya exchanged glances, then turned toward the Workshop.

"Teacher, I've organized today's accounts, but I'm uncertain about the starcore grass order."

Liliya retrieved a thick ledger, her expression troubled.

Since Ai Lan's transformation began, workshop operations had fallen to her.

Though her learning ability was remarkable, when facing tasks requiring experience, she still felt somewhat out of her depth.

Luo En scanned the ledger, pointing out revisions:

"Starcore grass pricing must consider harvesting moon phases - new moon harvests are 30% more valuable than full moon. These were collected during the waning gibbous phase, so pricing should be 15% below baseline, not 20%."

Liliya diligently noted the points, though fatigue shadowed her face.

Managing workshop procurement, sales, inventory, and maintenance simultaneously was overwhelming for a novice.

"Ai Lan Sister always kept everything perfectly organized."

Liliya sighed, voice soft:

"I only realized now how much work she quietly handled without fanfare, keeping the entire Workshop running like a precision clock. I've tried my best, but still feel..."

Luo En nodded, sharing her reflection.

It was those seemingly insignificant daily tasks that formed the Workshop's foundational stability.

Ai Lan's quiet dedication had been truly irreplaceable.

Suddenly, a shrill screech pierced the air.

A macaw swooped into the courtyard, feathers flashing vibrant colors in the sunlight. Circling once, it landed on Luo En's outstretched arm.

"Luo En Sir! Urgent message! Urgent message!"

The parrot squawked dramatically, now quite familiar with the young master.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end