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Chapter 469: The Mother Tree's Seed
Chapter 469: The Mother Tree's Seed
Despite Prince Sedrin's grave mistake, which could be considered irreparable, most of the Pureblood Elves, including Elder Auben, did not intend to overly chastise him.
At most, they would confine him until the return of King Stelian, leaving the matter for the king to handle.
However, the current scene before them evoked deep emotions, and many Pureblood Elves rushed towards the Elven Mother Tree, Andahil, where Prince Sedrin had disappeared.
"The Dark God's temptation is indeed formidable," 'Red Queen' Menya sighed.
Even a powerful individual like Prince Sedrin could be lured or tempted by the Dark God, which explained the Empire's resolute stance against cults.
If cults were allowed to deceive the masses on a large scale, leading to the manifestation of a Dark God, it would be catastrophic.
Just as everyone was feeling inexplicably saddened by the prince's death, the Elven Mother Tree Andahil, which should have died long ago, suddenly emitted a faint green glow.
At first, it was barely noticeable, only perceptible to Epic-tier powerhouses. But soon, the glow intensified, spreading from the massive trunk to every tiny branch of the Mother Tree.
"What is this?"
This phenomenon surprised everyone from the Empire, including Ren, who was momentarily taken aback.
Could it be that the Mother Tree had revived? It was truly miraculous!
The next moment, all the green light vanished.
Suddenly, a loud 'crack' echoed as the giant trunk split open, and a seed, glowing with dense green light, slowly rose from within.
"This... this is the Mother Tree's seed!" Elder Auben exclaimed, almost incoherent with excitement.
"What? The Mother Tree's seed?"
"How is this possible?"
"Didn't the Mother Tree lose its ability to produce seeds after that incident in the Middle Ages? How can it suddenly..." The nearby Elven Elders expressed their astonishment.
"It's likely that Prince Sedrin's true spirit compensated for the previous deficiencies of the Mother Tree Andahil, enabling it to generate a seed once again," Elder Nisha, having regained her composure, offered her conjecture.
"That must be it!"
"There's no other explanation."
"Wonderful! We finally have the Mother Tree's seed again."
For a moment, the Elves experienced a mix of sorrow and joy, grieving the prince's death while rejoicing over the appearance of the Mother Tree's seed.
Even Anna, standing beside Ren, wore an expression of both excitement and sadness.
"We need to plant the Mother Tree's seed in suitable soil immediately. However, due to the destruction of the defensive crystal, we lack sufficient energy to activate the seed in the short term."
At this moment, another seemingly elderly Elf spoke to Elder Auben.
"Let's get started. Also, there's more..." Orders were issued by Elder Auben.
With the emergence of the Mother Tree's seed, the Pureblood Elves at the scene exuded a noticeable change in their aura, transforming from a state of sorrow and gloom to one of vibrant vitality.
For a moment, the Elves, who had suffered significant losses in the recent cult incident, seemed to be reborn from the ashes.
Ren couldn't help but marvel at this turn of events. Adversity only makes one stronger.
"If not for you, the Elves might have faced an even worse situation," said a familiar, mature female voice beside Ren.
A graceful figure in a red wizard's robe, Menya, approached slowly.
"Your Highness Menya," Ren bowed slightly.
"Ren, when we met in Meyst, I sensed your immense potential. However, your growth rate has far exceeded my expectations."
"I remember giving you a scale of Tasa's dragon back then. Now it seems like an unnecessary gesture."
"Your Highness Menya, your concern at that time greatly encouraged and inspired me."
"Really?" Menya's beautiful eyes glanced at Ren, knowing full well that he was being polite.
"Of course."
"By the way, you should know why I'm here, Ren. Your ancestor..."
The question Ren had anticipated was asked.
Ren, well-prepared for this, replied, "Your Highness Menya, as far as I know, my ancestor is not a descendant of the Imperial Royal Family. In fact, I myself find it quite surprising."
"Perhaps it's a case of atavism?"
"I once read in ancient books that before the establishment of the Empire, there were multiple kingdoms on this land named after dragons."
Ren attributed his exceptionally high dragon bloodline to atavism.
"Atavism? The probability is not impossible, but it's incredibly low," Menya said, her eyes fixed on Ren as if agreeing with his explanation.
In truth, Ren could tell that Menya didn't entirely believe him.
However, he wasn't worried. At his level of strength, unless he committed treason, some matters were best left uninvestigated.
At that moment, many people looked up towards the eastern horizon, where numerous large Imperial airships, around twenty of them, were rapidly approaching Ferdinand City.
It was apparent that these were the Empire's reinforcements.
"Huh? Lady Menya, are these the Empire's backup forces?"
"Yes, the Empire's second wave of support."
As the airship docked, 'Red Queen' Menya, representing the Imperial Royal Family and the highest authority on-site, was naturally swamped with work and had no time to speak further with Ren.
"Ren, well done!"
At this moment, Moriah, the head of the Beyus Armored Academy, approached with a look of relief, patting Ren on the shoulder.
"Headmaster, I'm sorry. I self-destructed the Destroyer. As a valuable asset of the Academy, I'm willing to compensate for it," Ren apologized to Moriah.
After all, since acquiring the Destroyer Colossus, Ren was well aware of its significance to Moriah.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Moriah had high hopes for the Destroyer as the foundation of the Beyus Armored Academy.
"A single Destroyer in exchange for the death of a demigod-level Dark God's avatar is a profitable deal no matter how you look at it! Ren, you did the right thing!" Moriah waved her hand dismissively, comforting Ren.
"Additionally, there's something you got wrong! Ren, you are the Academy's most valuable asset, not the Destroyer Colossus!"
Moriah's words caused Ren's heart to tremble slightly.
"I just went to check, and although the colossus is severely damaged, some of its structures can still be repaired."
"I believe that with a dedicated team, even if we can't create an exact replica of the Destroyer, we can still produce a colossal golem with about seventy to eighty percent of its original power."
Moriah pointed to the location of the Destroyer's remains as she spoke.
"That's not bad," Ren's eyes lit up, nodding.
"I've already sent word to the Academy, and they'll send people soon. By the way, your mentor, Mogaro, will also be coming." Moriah seemed to remember something from the Valzich Ruins and smiled.
"Mentor Mogaro is coming too? That's great." Ren nodded and smiled.
"Yes, your friend is here, and we'll talk later. I need to arrange for the collection of the Destroyer's remains first." Moriah glanced to the side and smiled.
"Alright, Headmaster."
Luther and Lambert approached together from the side.
"Sir Ren, once again, you've exceeded my expectations of your strength."
"Sir Luther, Sir Lambert, thank you both."
"Sir Ren, don't mention it. I'm not just helping out; this is also a valuable experience for me. I feel that with a few more days of refinement, I'll be able to reach that realm." Lambert's face was filled with a smile.
"Oh? That's wonderful. In that case, congratulations in advance, Sir Lambert." Ren raised his eyebrows in surprise and congratulated him.
He wasn't overly surprised by this.
After all, Lambert had been on the verge of becoming a Sword Saint since the last time.
This time, after experiencing several major battles and even being bathed in the aftermath of the demigod battle, it was normal to have some insights.
"Sir Lambert, you..." Luther, standing next to him, seemed unaware of this and was visibly shocked.
"Sigh! I don't know if it's my misfortune or fortune to be friends with you two. It's really discouraging!" Luther shook his head in distress.
Hearing this, Ren and Lambert both laughed.
After a while, Lambert and Luther also left.
At this moment, Elder Nisha, accompanied by Anna, approached with a slightly apologetic expression.
"Sir Ren, there's one more thing. I wonder if you could help us once again?"
"Oh? Please tell me, Elder Nisha." Ren was puzzled.
How powerful was the Empire?
The elder didn't answer directly but asked in return, "What do you think would happen if the Empire's large airships, which have been arriving one after another, were to engage in battle with the Mother Tree Cult?"
"There would definitely be a fight!" One of the subordinates immediately chimed in.
As soon as he finished speaking, the others also realized the situation.
The Empire's airships had arrived in the skies above Ferdinand City, but no battle had broken out. Clearly, the Empire had already taken control of the situation there.
"Sir, you are truly wise."
"Retreat immediately!"
"Yes, sir."
In a secret camp located dozens of kilometers northwest of Ferdinand City, a similar scene unfolded.
"Sir, should we retreat now? There should still be scattered elves in the area..."
"Retreat immediately." A middle-aged man in black knight armor spoke in a low voice.
"If my guess is correct, the elves, along with the Dragon Empire, will soon conduct a search of the Ferdinand Forest. Staying here at this moment is not a wise decision."
"But we saw that giant red dragon escape, injured, not long ago."
"Even so, we haven't received any signals from the Mother Tree Cult or their inside agents. Something must have gone wrong."
"For safety's sake, let's retreat quickly."
"Yes, sir."
Scenes like this occurred one after another throughout the Ferdinand Forest.
When Ren and other powerful members of the Empire searched the forest for the cultists, they found very few of them.
Most of the cultist organizations had already retreated, except for the Plague Cult, whose members were swiftly surrounded and eliminated by the Empire and the elves, rescuing many captured pureblood elves.
When Ren returned to Ferdinand City, Elder Auben and Elder Nessa approached him.
"Sir Ren, we are truly grateful for your continuous assistance. Here, as a token of our gratitude, is a gift from our people." Elder Auben gestured to a pureblood elf woman holding a tray.
On the tray were two items.
The first was the 'Heart of the Ancient Tree', but this time, there were ten of them! The second item was a talisman.
Although Ren didn't touch it, he could clearly sense the powerful energy emanating from it. It was obviously a rare and precious high-level magical artifact.
Anna blinked her beautiful eyes. As an elf, she was well aware of the value of these gifts.
The value of the Heart of the Ancient Tree was beyond question.
The second item, the talisman, was called the 'Heart of Ferdinand', a token of friendship given by the elves to their most honored guests. With it, the bearer could make a request to the elves.
Additionally, it was a high-level magical artifact in itself.
"Elder Auben, these gifts are too precious. I think I was merely doing what I should have." Ren waved his hand, politely declining.
"Sir Ren..."
After some polite refusals, the elves were surprisingly persistent, insisting that Ren accept the gifts.
"Elder Auben, may I choose a different reward instead?" Ren glanced at the fern-covered shoulder armor on the elder's body and asked.
"Hmm?"
Upon hearing Ren's words, Elder Auben and Elder Nessa exchanged glances.
Could it be that Sir Ren's refusal was just a pretense, and his true intention was to acquire something even more precious?
"Elder Auben, I heard from Anna that the elves have their unique understanding and craftsmanship when it comes to leatherworking. I'd like to find a master leatherworker from your tribe to learn from. If it's not a secret, of course."
"What?"
The unexpected response left Elder Auben and Elder Nessa both stunned, their eyes wide with surprise.
Sir Ren was willing to pass up such precious gifts and instead wanted to learn leatherworking?
"Sir Ren, you're talking about leatherworking?" Elder Auben asked again, having calmed down.
"Yes, I'd like to learn from an elven master leatherworker. As for these gifts, I'll accept the talisman, and the rest can be considered payment for my learning. What do you say?"
"Sir Ren, Elder Nessa is actually our tribe's top master in leatherworking. But these gifts..." Elder Auben continued to persuade.
Anna, on the other hand, was quite excited. She gently tugged at Ren's sleeve and whispered, "Ren, do you really want to learn leatherworking from the teacher?"
In the end, Ren, unable to refuse such hospitality, accepted the talisman and three Hearts of the Ancient Tree.
Elder Auben offered that the elves would provide all the necessary materials for Ren's leatherworking studies free of charge.
Soon, Ren gave three Hearts of the Ancient Tree to Moriah.
Moriah was overjoyed, as the Hearts of the Ancient Tree could be used to create radiation-proof devices, allowing more members of the Academy to explore the Valzich Ruins at once.
(End of Chapter)
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