Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 709 - 708: The Tree on the Plain

On the barren plains west of Sorinburg, an unprecedentedly massive plant shaded the scorched earth’s sky. Its scale defied human imagination and even exceeded Gawain’s expectations.

Rather than calling it a tree, it’s more like a small forest supported by numerous pillars resembling aerial roots, all centered around a single trunk.

The large, dark brown trunk emerged from the earth’s crevices, covered in vines, moss, and countless flowers that defy naming. A canopy nearly matching the size of the nearby Sorinburg was supported a hundred meters high. Two-thirds of its overlapping green leaves covered the plain, while one-third reached over Sorinburg’s sky. Numerous "pillars" requiring two or three people to encircle dangled from various points of the canopy, artistically supporting the canopy and connecting it to the ground. These pillars also bore various symbiotic plants, lush and full of life.

Beneath this colossal "giant tree," the once scorched plains of the west of Sorinburg have already been covered by vast expanses of vibrant flowers, grass, and shrubs. The thriving vitality makes it unimaginable that it was once the source of the crystal cluster disaster, or that it had been scorched to barrenness by artillery and burners...

Amber’s exclamation was completely justified because even Gawain widened his eyes in amazement.

"This... certainly exceeds my expectations," Gawain blinked. "No wonder the previous reports mentioned this thing was indescribable... even photos clearly cannot capture its scale."

"I feel this thing is larger than the legendary Origin Tree of the elves," Amber muttered to herself, "and this thing... grew to this size in just a few days?"

"That’s what the report said," Gawain frowned. "The soldiers wouldn’t lie about this... What’s going on here?"

The convoy continued toward the temporary camp at the giant tree’s base. Gawain poked his head out of the car window, gazing into the distance—he saw some collapsed sentry towers and tent-like buildings in the plant-rich area under the giant tree. Those destroyed camp facilities had already merged with the aerial roots or thickets spreading from the giant tree, their surfaces covered in lush vegetation, just as the report mentioned:

When this giant tree suddenly emerged from the ground, the soldiers monitoring the camp only had time to evacuate personnel and some supplies. The remaining items were devoured by the plants within twenty-four hours.

Thus, the emergency relocated monitoring troops established a temporary camp outside the giant tree’s radiation range. Soldiers there still keep a day and night watch over the tree’s movements to prevent it from suddenly expanding again and "consuming" the temporary camp as well.

The closer they get, the stronger the overwhelming feeling brought by the giant tree becomes. It stands tall in sight like a castle piled up with plants (its scale is indeed larger than a castle), but in addition to its immense oppression, it also carries an unbelievable sanctity and magnificence—Gawain vaguely felt a layer of the magical environment permeating the region. It is faint, almost hidden within the normal backdrop of natural magic, and seemingly harmless.

The vehicle stopped at the camp’s entrance, and the moment it steadied, a heroic young female knight came up to the car: "Your Majesty! Tribute to you!"

Gawain got out of the car, nodding to the female knight: "Margarita—it looks like you’ve taken charge here."

This female knight is indeed Margarita from Kant, one of Wald Peric’s subordinates. However, due to her outstanding abilities, Wald often sent her outside the rocky ridges Fortress to carry out missions—to increase her credentials and experience, a special care from the old knight for an excellent subordinate.

After the Empire was established, Margarita’s main task was to assist Byron Kirk in sweeping the remaining Crystal Cluster Monsters off the Plains of the Holy Spirits and, in the process, setting up a series of emergency Magic Web Nexuses to form a temporary communication network in the empire’s eastern and central regions. When an incident occurred at Sorinburg, she happened to be leading her troops near the Crystal Cluster at the Woods Path of Inclination. As the highest-ranking commander in this area, she quickly took over the "urgent task," and she is currently in charge of the camp surrounding the "Sorin Giant Tree" (the provisional name given to this giant tree in the report).

"Yes, Your Majesty," Margarita nodded seriously with a serious expression. "We have established new monitoring posts in the south and east of this ’plant’—the original monitoring camp has been devoured by the suddenly emerged plant, but the new posts seem safe for now."

"How is the situation at present?" Gawain raised his head and asked, gazing up at the canopy that blocks the sun, "Is it still growing? I heard it had devoured the first layer of the monitoring camp within forty-eight hours, and the canopy reached Sorinburg’s walls..."

"It is still growing slowly, but it has almost slowed down to an almost negligible extent since twelve hours ago. The Druids in the camp initially believe its ’surge period’ should be over, and within twenty-four hours, its expansion will stop and enter a balance phase—we can’t determine what will happen after that yet."

"And the casualty situation?" Gawain immediately asked.

"No soldiers were lost; everyone withdrew in time, with only three soldiers sustaining minor injuries while transporting supplies, and moreover..."

At this point, Margarita frowned as if what she was about to say was so strange she needed to organize her words. After composing herself, she continued, "Moreover, perhaps due to the influence of this giant tree, the injured soldiers’ healing speed far exceeded the norm. Without using alchemical potions, the three soldiers’ wounds healed within an hour. I conducted some tests to confirm the presence of a peculiar environment around the giant tree that nurtures vitality. Everyone within the range can quickly recover their physical strength and energy, and even minor injuries heal rapidly."

"Oh?" Gawain raised his eyebrows unexpectedly, suddenly recalling the subtle magical environment he had sensed just now... it did not seem to be a mere illusion.

"It feels as if the entire area is enveloped in a continuous healing spell, yet the Druids and magical observers have not detected any substantial magical fluctuations. This giant tree exudes power in a way we cannot understand... it exceeds existing magical theories," Margarita continued, "We are currently conducting further observations and calculations on the magical power field around Sorinburg, but it’s so massive, it has surpassed the perception limits of any existing scopes or measuring spells. Conventional methods might be unable to delineate its spell model..."

"No worries, take your time. This thing is probably enough for us to research for a long time..." Gawain exhaled a breath, stepping into the camp. "Let’s talk as we walk."

The accompanying party immediately followed, including Bard Wendell, still in a "semi-custodial" state, and Pittman as a senior advisor.

As they were moving towards the giant tree, Bard couldn’t help but look up, casting an undisguised gaze of astonishment at this miraculous plant, while Pittman casually asked, "Do you know how this thing came to be?"

"...This goes beyond my understanding," Bard honestly replied. "To be honest, even though I’ve lived within the Oblivion Association for years, I’m merely a mid-level priest. Among the secret plans I’ve been involved in... none involved anything about this tree."

Pittman smirked, "I was hoping you knew more than me... it turns out after all those years, you were just a mid-level priest..."

Bard awkwardly smiled, but soon had a vague feeling that Pittman’s words seemed to have some additional meaning. However, before he could speak, Pittman had already walked forward.

At the front of the team, Margarita was still reporting to Gawain about the current information gathered from the monitoring camp:

"... It is now certain that this plant has grown from the Oblivion Association’s lair. Its roots are embedded in that enormously expansive fissure, and its underground parts should have even more complex and larger structures...

"On the Druids’ suggestion, we excavated parts of the land in the eastern Sorinburg and south of the Sloping Forest Path, and indeed found large-scale root systems of unknown origin...

"The plants that grew alongside the giant tree have also been checked, and the preliminary results did not indicate any anomalies. Many plants are common species, and some that are difficult to identify should be subspecies that grow in remote areas...

"We tested some non-toxic ones on animals and found they could even be eaten...

"The main trunk of the giant tree has a root structure with gaps at the base, with numerous roots intertwined with underground rocks and building walls forming a complex subterranean passage. We suspect this passage could lead into the deep lair of the Oblivion Association, but there are very complex magical reactions inside. As per your instructions, we have yet to explore it...

"We have set up sentinel towers and some lighting equipment near the trunk—its canopy is so vast that the central area is poorly lit, making it difficult to see even at noon, so additional lighting is necessary.

"We have not explored its canopy yet for the same reason—it’s too dangerous, and the deep layers of the canopy seem to be slowly expanding and unstable at present..."

"Well done," after Margarita finished her report, Gawain nodded in satisfaction, "The information is timely and detailed."

Margarita bowed her head, "This is my duty."

Gawain responded affirmatively, looking towards the giant tree trunk in the distance, which appeared as enormous as a huge tower, yet tangled together like countless roots and vines: "Let’s head directly to the ’trunk’ area."

Margarita instinctively spoke, "This might be dangerous, your noble identity..."

"First, I came here to personally inspect the situation; otherwise, staying in the camp’s command post and staying in the palace wouldn’t make a difference. Second, I am at least a legend, not so fragile. Moreover, we’re heading to a surface area that’s already been explored once and is relatively safe. Third..." Gawain glanced at the lady knight and lightly patted her on the shoulder, "Don’t always focus on the ’noble identity’ issue; the Cecil Clan emphasizes everyone fulfilling their responsibilities."

Margarita paused for a moment, and in her brief daze, Gawain had already started striding forward, heading towards the giant trunk along a path cleared by the soldiers.

The lady knight quickly followed.

As they advanced further towards the trunk, the shade cast by the vast canopy became increasingly thick and dim. The camp’s soldiers had cleared a path through the grass and shrubs that had rapidly grown overnight, and at this moment, the magic crystal lamps supported by iron rods on either side of the path became the sole source of light dispelling the gloom. Gawain moved along this temporary road, occasionally hearing soft rustling sounds nearby—caused by the swaying of vegetation.

Although the growth of the giant tree itself had stopped, the abnormal vitality it brought continued to have effects. Even now, new plants were sprouting from the scorched earth, filling this place with suddenly emerging abundant life.

After moving forward for some time, Gawain arrived at the base of the giant tree.

The tree trunk, resembling a towering structure, and the massive tangled roots emerging from the soil presented themselves before him.

Various sized temporary supports had been fixed between the nearby roots and rocks, with high-powered magic crystal lamps hung on the supports and on the surface of the trunk above. The man-made lights dispersed the darkness here, allowing Gawain to see the "entrance" between the intertwined roots.

As Margarita said, there indeed was an entrance—it looked like a door that had specifically grown there. Two V-shaped intersecting roots below the trunk formed a triangular gap, wide enough for a "Warhammer-I" tank to drive through. Inside, there seemed to be faint light, likely a dim glow from some kind of phosphorescent moss.

Amber stood in front of the entrance, peeking her head in for a glance, then shrank back two seconds later, "Wow, it’s kind of creepy in there..."

Gawain looked at her oddly, "You were born in the Shadow Fortress, never feared while tomb raiding, how can you be afraid of a little darkness here?"

Amber immediately widened her eyes, placing her hands on her hips, "I’m not afraid of darkness! I have heightened senses! I don’t know what’s going on, but I feel like the entire underground space and a vast surrounding area is ’alive’... it’s creepy, okay!"

Gawain paid no attention to Amber’s initial explanation and self-praise, but after hearing the latter part, he looked up at the pitch-black dense canopy above.

"No doubt... it certainly is alive..."

He turned his head, glanced at Bard Wendell behind him.

"Are you ready?"