Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 698 - 642: Dream Forest Permit GET

Slender fingers traced the grooves in the stone slab, while the dancing shadows of swaying trees played over the words. At the height of the finger’s touch, roots that had crept up from the soil and twisted around the engraving bloomed with small white flowers. The blossoming flowers brought a smile to the woman’s face, and she turned and patted the cradle-like branch she was sitting on, speaking to the tree behind her.

Only from a distance could one observe the entirety of that strange ancient tree, whose roots did not delve deep into the earth, but rather ended in droplet shapes, gathering in multitude to form two massive clusters that supported the lofty tree. From the bifurcated root system sprouted thick boughs covered in a sage-green bark, with two especially slender main branches that extended vine-like to the ground, one cradling an elf. At the crown, several caterpillar-like ridges with distinct patterns formed a blurry human face.

"Aite, you’re blocking my view," the young girl said, her voice devoid of any complaint as the tree-ant’s blossoms seemed to have served their intended purpose.

The aged and leisurely voice sounded as if it came from within a cluster of trees, or echoed throughout the forest itself.

"Since you returned, you have rarely smiled, and the few forced smiles you did have hung like dead skin on a diseased branch, Nature Lady."

The lady pouted, idly stabbing the stone slab with a broken-off twig from Aite’s arm, a negligible loss that Aite overlooked. The treant settled back into silence, well aware that the woman would soon pour out her heart’s troubles, unable to contain her distress as the former Elf Queen.

"It’s probably because everyone isn’t getting along, is it? The rift between the Witherers and the residents hasn’t closed, the Queen’s Guard and the Senate can’t stand each other, and they are all subtly ostracizing Claudia. Even though we’re all one family, why do we have to split into so many parts?"

Due to your presence, it is only logical that the Dream Elf society is divided into factions. Aite pondered with the wisdom granted by longevity. The segmentation of factions for the stability of the kingdom’s rule, indeed, that woman’s maneuvers were far more astute than those of the Queen.

"Because we are all ’people,’ and people’s likes and dislikes vary. Even we, the forest sprites, are not united; we just happen to all cherish you, who is the Lady of Nature."

Irason lay down on the ancient tree’s palm with a headache, gazing up at the pristine sky above the Dream Forest.

"The sky above home is truly beautiful, isn’t it? The City of Wandering’s sky is just like a confusing nightmare. I wonder if Heinz and the others will get used to coming home."

"Lost children always find their way back home. They will find a sense of belonging here, hasn’t that person already dealt with it?"

"Susanna’s methods? Using an excessive workload to keep both sides too busy to cause trouble—that doesn’t seem like a good solution. I’d feel guilty if Heinz died of overwork. Isn’t there an activity that everyone would like so much that they could work together harmoniously in public affairs? Setting aside prejudices and getting along well, such a thing can’t even be achieved in dreams..." Irason slumped over in defeat, flipping over like a salted fish.

"You’ve already arranged for them to meet in dreams?"

"Hmm..." Irason’s face turned a despondent grey. "Eye of the Queen’s captain Kylo Servblade, the Senate’s War Druid Charles Nightingale, and the Withering Druid Heinz Morningwind. I arranged for them to meet several times in dreams, and then they started fighting, beheading each other a dozen times, and now it’s escalated to factional warfare. I thought that using dreams could help dissolve some of their animosity, but their hatred only deepened. If it weren’t for Susanna’s intervention, the real world would have been washed over several times by civil war by now. It would be terrible if that became a reality."

Aite watched the former queen sink into a state of self-doubt and realized they couldn’t continue this topic, otherwise Irason’s crying might attract the most terrifying Governor.

"Ah... ha... so, what is written on this stone slab? You’ve been staring at it for an hour already."

"This?" Irason patted the tall stone slab, "This is Imelt’s confession, written in Dragon language by Claudia’s Red Dragon sister, recounting her experiences in the dwarf kingdom of MacKenBert and the wrongs she has done."

"What does this symbol mean? It looks like a two-legged spruce tree-ant." Aite pointed at a frequently appearing symbol on the stone.

"Ah, that’s the combination of Dragon language for ’bullying’ and ’theft,’ meaning ’bully who takes advantage of their power.’ For the five dragons, this symbol specifically refers to Lyle, the new Dragon King Priest, a rather interesting child."

"...I think I’m beginning to understand him a bit." The treant Aite formed a profound impression of the never-before-seen Lyle, "So what did he do to be repeatedly mentioned?"

"Well... he tempted fire elementals and dwarves to attack the Elemental Plane, nearly toppling it, and then shifted all the blame onto the Red Dragon... That’s what it says here."

The forest fell into silence following Irason’s words.

"This is super dangerous, isn’t it?" Aite thought to himself as he labeled Lyle in his mind, firmly not wishing to have any contact with such a dangerous person.

"I’ve decided, I’m going to seek Lyle’s help to solve the troubles in the Dream Forest!"

In that instant, as though a strange wind had picked up, leaves trembled and wailed. The sudden change startled Irason; she squinted at the towering Treant, Aite.

"Was that a prank just now?" The surroundings had changed abruptly, and the only one capable of causing these phenomena was the Treant Druid Aite beside her. As an embodiment of nature, he had a certain ability to adjust the environment. Hence, when his emotions fluctuated violently, the surrounding natural environment would respond accordingly, as it did now.

Aite looked at the stone slate in front of him; the dragon language symbol resembling his form no longer felt familiar in the beginning. The constant repetition brought unease, as if the slender ghostly shadow representing Lyle had already appeared around him, replacing the woods and enclosing him from all sides. Even though he didn’t yet understand Lyle’s identity, Aite was already feeling the false malevolence.

"Your Majesty Irason, we should solve our own problems, it’s not right to trouble friends!"

The Green Dragon Priest tilted its head, looking curiously at the suddenly serious Aite.

"Lyle is very good at handling these kinds of troubles, and as the Dragon King Priest, he is inherently relied upon by us. It’s no problem to consult a superior when faced with a difficult issue."

"But... we have the Lady Governor, right... Her methods are a bit direct. By doing this, you’re essentially expressing distrust in the Lady Governor’s abilities, which could hurt her. Before seeking help, madam, perhaps you should first discuss with the Lady Governor, reconsider your decision, and think twice before acting."

"Hmm... Aite makes a good point; then I will..."

"I’ve agreed to it, you know." The chilly voice came from behind Aite; the familiar tingling sensation alerted him to the newcomer. The Dream Elf Governor walked across the grass and approached.

Aite put down Irason and moved his roots to the side, a sense of sadness emerged, yet he held onto his last hope.

"Governor, could you explain what you mean? Is there a new policy that needs to be implemented? We will follow your lead and heed your instructions, after all, there’s no trouble in the Dream Forest that you can’t solve, right?"

Susanna moved in front of the stone slate, her smile visible through her helmet, identical to Irason’s. She seemed to also recognize the dragon language.

"Aite, the Dream Elf hasn’t welcomed guests for a long time, we need to revise our etiquette to avoid being seen as a crude race in the future. Irason, go seek help. There’s been a little issue with Claudia, I’d like to consult the reliable Mr. Lyle." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Having received the response, Irason left with a smile, leaving Treant Aite and Susanna standing there.

"My lady, that Lyle, he’s not exactly a gentle being."

"Lyle is an Evil God’s spawn."

"What?!! Then why would you still allow him to encroach on our forest?"

Susanna looked toward the deep, dark forest where light couldn’t penetrate, then turned and left.

"It’s just fighting poison with poison. Even if we fail, the Emerald Dream is vast, fitting in two wouldn’t be a problem."