On the deserted plains west of Thorinburg, a plant of unprecedented scale obscures the sky on the scorched earth. Its scale is beyond human imagination, and even...beyond Gawain's imagination.
It is not so much a tree as it is a small jungle with a main trunk as the center and supported by countless pillars that look like aerial roots.
Thick dark brown tree trunks grow out of the cracks in the earth. The surface is wrapped with vines, moss and a large number of unnamed flowers. A canopy that is almost the same size as the nearby Solinburg is supported on the tree. At a height of 100 meters, two-thirds of the layers of green leaves cover the plain area, and one-third has covered the sky above Solinburg. Many "pillars" hung from the canopy, hugged by two or three people. , supporting the tree crown in an orderly manner and connecting to the earth. On those pillars, a variety of symbiotic plants also grow, lush and vibrant.
Under this huge "giant tree", the originally scorched western plain of Solinburgh has been covered by large tracts of flowers, grasses, and shrubs. Its vitality is completely amazing. I can’t imagine that it was once the source of the cluster disaster, I can’t imagine that it was burned to ashes by artillery fire and burners...
Amber’s exclamation is completely justified, because even Gawain They all opened their eyes in surprise.
"This... is a bit beyond my expectation," Gawain blinked, "No wonder the previous report said that this thing cannot be described... Even if I take photos, it is difficult to reflect its scale."
"I feel like this thing is bigger than the legendary Origin Tree among the elves," Amber murmured to himself, "And this thing can grow like this...in just a few days?"
"That's what the report says," Gawain frowned, "the soldiers won't lie about this... What the hell is going on?"
The convoy continues Driving towards the temporary camp at the foot of the giant tree, Gawain stuck his head out of the car window and looked further into the distance - he saw some collapsed sentry towers and tent-like buildings in the lush vegetation area at the foot of the giant tree. The destroyed camp facilities have been integrated with the aerial roots or bushes spread out by the giant tree, and the surface is covered with lush vegetation, as mentioned in the report:
When this giant tree When it suddenly emerged from the surface, the soldiers monitoring the camp only had time to evacuate the personnel and some supplies. The remaining items were devoured by plants within twenty-four hours.
Therefore, the urgently transferred monitoring force established a temporary camp outside the radiation range of this giant tree, and there are still soldiers paying attention to the movement of the giant tree day and night to prevent this thing from suddenly appearing again Expand to include the temporary campsite.
The closer you get, the more intense the shock the giant tree brings. It stands tall in sight like a castle made of plants (in fact, its scale is larger than the castle). (big enough), but in addition to its huge oppressive power, it also carries an incredible holiness and magnificence - highWen Yin vaguely felt that there was a layer of magic surrounding this area. It was very weak and almost hidden in the normal natural magic background, and... it seemed harmless.
The vehicle stopped at the entrance of the camp. As soon as it stopped, a heroic young female knight came to the vehicle: "Your Majesty! Salute to you!"
高Wen got out of the car and nodded to the female knight: "Margarita - it seems that you have taken over here."
This female knight is Margarita, who was born in Kant , she is one of Walder Perici's subordinates, but because of her outstanding abilities, Walder often sends her to perform tasks outside the Rock Fortress - this is to increase her qualifications and experience, which can be regarded as the old knight's favor to outstanding subordinates. Extra care.
After the establishment of the empire, Margarita's main task was to assist Byron in cleaning up the remaining crystal cluster monsters on the Holy Spirit Plain, and in the process established a series of emergency magic network hubs to form an empire. Temporary communication network in the eastern and central regions. When the situation occurred in Solinburg, she happened to be leading her troops to sweep away the crystal clusters near the entrance of the Xianlin Pass. As the highest-ranking commander in the region, she quickly took over this "emergency mission." She is currently in charge of the camps around the "Thorin Giant Tree" (the temporary name given to this giant tree in the report).
"Yes, Your Majesty," Margarita nodded seriously, "We have established new monitoring posts in the south and east of this 'plant' - the original monitoring camps have been suddenly The plants that emerged are devouring it, and the new monitoring post seems to be relatively safe now."
"How is the current situation?" Gawain raised his head and asked while looking up at the tree canopy that blocked the sky. He said, "Is it still growing? I heard that it swallowed up the first-level monitoring camp within forty-eight hours, and the canopy extended to the wall of Solinburg..."
"It It is still growing slowly, but it has slowed down to an almost negligible level twelve hours ago. The druid at the camp initially judged that its "explosion period" should have ended. Within twenty-four hours at most, it The expansion will stop and enter the equilibrium stage - as for what will happen next, it is not yet certain."
"What about the casualties?" Gawain then asked.
"No soldiers died, everyone evacuated in time, only three soldiers were slightly injured while carrying supplies, and..."
Margarita She frowned when she said this, as if what she was about to say was too strange and she needed to organize her words. She thought about the words for a while before continuing: "And I don't know if it is the influence of this giant tree. The injured soldiers healed much faster." Beyond normal conditions, without the use of alchemical potions, the wounds of the three people were healed within an hour. I did some tests and confirmed that there is a strange environment around the giant tree that can nourish the vitality of everyone within the range. Physical strength and energy can be restored quickly, and minor injuries can be recovered quickly."
"Oh?" Gawain couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.Suddenly I remembered the subtle magical environment I felt just now... It seemed that it was not an illusion.
“It felt as if the entire area was enveloped in a continuous healing spell, but neither the druids nor the magic observers found any formed magic fluctuations. This giant tree was using Releasing power in a way that we cannot understand... This is beyond the existing magic theory," Margarita continued. "We are currently making further observations and calculations of the magic field around Solinburg, but its The scale is so large that it has exceeded the perception limit of any current observation eyepiece or measurement spell. It is probably difficult to describe its spell model using conventional methods..."
"It doesn't matter, take your time, I'm afraid this thing is enough. We have been studying for a long time..." Gawain exhaled and walked towards the camp, "We talked as we walked."
The accompanying team immediately followed, including those who are still "semi-escorted". Bud Wendell of the state and Pittman as senior advisor.
As he walked towards the giant tree, Bud couldn't help but raise his head and glanced at the miraculous plant with undisguised amazement, while Pittman next to him asked casually One sentence: "Do you know where this thing came from?"
"...This is beyond my knowledge," Bud said honestly, "To be honest, although in the final meeting of all things, I have been living for many years, but I am only a middle-level priest. Among the secret plans I have come into contact with... there is nothing related to this tree."
Pitman curled his lips: "I am still counting on it. You know more than me... but after working for so many years, you are just a middle-level person..."
Bud smiled awkwardly, but soon he had a vague feeling that Pittman There seemed to be a little extra to this, but before he could say it, Pittman had already moved forward.
At the front of the team, Margarita is still reporting to Gawain the intelligence gathered from the monitoring camp: It grew out of the lair of the Death Society, and its root system is rooted in the crack of astonishing scale. There should be a more complex and larger structure in the underground part...
"In Druid At their suggestion, we excavated part of the land east of Solinburg and south of the Xielin Pass, and indeed found large-scale root systems of unknown origin...
"These plants grow together with the giant trees. It has also been inspected, and no abnormalities were found in the preliminary results. Many plants are common species, and some that are difficult to identify should be subspecies growing in remote areas...
"We used animals to test those plants that are unknown. They are poisonous, and they are even found to be edible...
"There is a root system structure with gaps in the trunk of the giant tree. A large number of roots, underground rocks and building walls together form a complex underground passage. We We suspect that the passage can enter the depths of the lair of the Death Society of All Things, but there is a very complex magic reaction inside. According to your instructions, weThe exploration has not yet started...
"We have set up outposts and some lighting equipment near the main trunk - its canopy is too large, and the light in the center is very poor, making it difficult to see even at noon. It must be Additional lighting.
"We haven't explored its canopy yet, again because it's too dangerous, and the deep layers of the canopy seem to be growing and changing slowly and are currently unstable..."
"Not bad." After Margarita's report, Gawain nodded with satisfaction, "The information is timely and very detailed. "
Margarita lowered her head: "This is what I should do. "
Gawain hummed and looked at the huge tree trunk in the distance that was as huge as a giant tower and like countless tangled roots of vines: "Let's go directly to the 'main trunk' area. "
Margarita subconsciously said: "This may be dangerous, you have a distinguished status..."
"First of all, I am here to check the situation personally, otherwise There is no difference between staying in the command post of the camp and staying in the palace; secondly, I am a legend after all, how can I be so fragile, not to mention that we are going to a surface area that has been explored and is relatively safe; thirdly, I am a legend. ..." Gawain glanced at the female knight in front of him and patted the latter's shoulder, "Don't always focus on the issue of 'high status'. Cecil is about fulfilling one's duties. ”
Margarita was startled for a moment, and during her brief moment of daze, Gawain had already taken long strides and walked towards the giant tree trunk in the distance along a path cleared by the soldiers. .
The female knight hurriedly followed.
As they moved towards the main trunk, the shadows caused by the huge tree crown became darker and darker. A path was opened up among the overgrown grass and shrubs. At this moment, the magic crystal lamps supported by iron poles on both sides of the path became the only source of light to dispel the darkness. Gawain was walking along this temporary road, and from time to time he would hear someone nearby. There was a soft sound - that was the sound of swaying vegetation.
Although the growth of the giant tree itself has stopped, the abnormal vitality brought by the giant tree continues to play a role. Until now, There were still new plants emerging from the scorched earth, filling the suddenly vibrant land.
After moving forward for a while, Gawain came to the roots of the giant tree.
The tower-like tree trunk and the huge, intertwined root system that drilled out of the soil under the trunk appeared in front of him.
Temporary supports of various sizes were fixed between nearby roots and rocks. Powerful magic crystal lamps were hung on the surface of the brackets and the tree trunks above. The artificial lights dispelled the darkness here and allowed Gawain to see clearly the "entrance" between the knotted roots.
Just as Margarita said, there is indeed an entrance there - it is like a specially grown gate. Two herringbone-shaped intersecting tree roots formed a triangular gap in the lower part of the trunk. The gap is very wide, and visually evenA "Warhammer-I" tank was able to be driven in, and there was a faint light inside, which seemed to be the shimmer brought by some kind of luminous moss.
Hubo stood in front of the entrance, peeked inside, and came back after two seconds: "Oh my god, it's a bit scary in there..."
Gao Wen looked at this disgrace of all things with strange eyes: "You were born in the Shadow Fortress after all. I didn't see you being timid when I was stealing graves and digging graves. Why are you still afraid of the darkness?"
Amber was immediately stunned. He widened his eyes and put his hands on his hips: "Am I afraid of the dark? My senses are sharp! I don't know what's going on here. I always feel that the entire underground space and a large area around it are 'alive'... "Oh, it's creepy!"
Gawain didn't pay attention to the first half of Amber's explanation and boast, but after listening to the second half, he looked up at the dark and deep tree crown above.
"There is no doubt...of course it is alive..."
He turned his head and glanced at Bud Wendell behind him.
"Are you ready?"