On the deserted plains in the west of Solin Castle, a plant of an unprecedented scale covered the sky above the scorched earth. Its scale was beyond human imagination, and even beyond Gwen's imagination.
It was not so much a tree, but a small jungle with a trunk as the center and countless aerial root-like pillars supporting it together.
The thick dark brown trunk grew out of the cracks in the earth, and the surface was entwined with vines, moss, and a large number of unknown flowers. A canopy almost the same scale as Solin Castle was supported at a height of 100 meters. Two-thirds of the green leaves covered the plains, and one-third covered the sky above Solin Castle. From the canopy, there were many 'pillars', each of which required two or three people to wrap their arms around, supporting the canopy and connecting it to the earth. On those pillars, there were also a variety of symbiotic plants, lush and full of vitality.
Below the entire 'giant tree,' the scorched plains in the west of Solin Castle had been covered by large patches of flowers, grass, and shrubs. The degree of vitality made it impossible to imagine that it was the source of the outbreak of the Crystal Cluster Disaster, and that it had been burned into a scorched earth by artillery and burners.
Amber's exclamation was completely reasonable because even Gwen's eyes widened in surprise.
"This … is a bit beyond my expectations." Gwen blinked. "No wonder the previous report said that this thing is indescribable. Even with a picture, it is difficult to show its scale."
"I feel that this thing is bigger than the legendary Tree of Origin," Amber muttered to herself. "And this thing … grew to this size in just a few days?"
"That's what the report said." Gwen frowned. "The soldiers would not lie about this. What the hell is going on?"
The convoy continued to drive to the temporary camp at the foot of the giant tree. Gwen poked his head out of the window and looked further away. He saw some collapsed sentry towers and tent-like buildings in the lush area at the foot of the giant tree. The destroyed camp facilities had merged with the aerial roots and shrubs of the giant tree, and the surface was covered with lush plants, just as the report said:
When the giant tree suddenly emerged from the ground, the soldiers monitoring the camp only had time to evacuate people and some supplies. The rest of the things were swallowed by the plants within 24 hours.
Therefore, the monitoring team that had been urgently relocated had set up a temporary camp outside of the giant tree's radiation range. Furthermore, there were still soldiers who kept an eye on the giant tree's movements day and night to prevent the tree from suddenly expanding again and 'eating' the temporary camp.
The closer they got to the giant tree, the more shocking the feeling was. It was like a castle piled up by plants (in fact, it was bigger than a castle). But in addition to the huge pressure, it had an incredible holiness and magnificence. Gwen vaguely felt that the area was shrouded in a layer of magical environment. It was very weak and almost hidden in the background of normal natural magic, and … it seemed harmless.
The vehicle stopped at the entrance of the camp. As soon as it stopped, a valiant young female Knight came to the side of the vehicle. "Your Majesty! Salute! "
Gwen got out of the vehicle and nodded to the female Knight. "Margarita, it seems that you have taken over here."
The female Knight was Margarita, born in Kant. She was one of Walter Perry's subordinates. But because of her outstanding ability, Walter often sent her to perform tasks outside the Firmrock Fortress. This was to increase her qualifications and experience. It was the old Knight's special care for his excellent subordinates.
After the establishment of the Empire, Margarita's main task was to assist Byron to clean up the remaining crystal monsters on the Plains of the Holy Spirit. In the process, she set up a series of emergency magic network hubs to form a temporary communication network in the eastern and central regions of the Empire. When the incident happened in Solin Fortress, she was leading the troops to clean up the crystal clusters near the crossroad. As the highest-ranking commander in the area, she quickly took over the "emergency task". She was now in charge of the camps around the "giant tree of Solin" (the name given to the giant tree in the report).
"Yes, Your Majesty." Margarita nodded solemnly. "We have set up new monitoring posts in the south and east of this' plant '. The original monitoring camp has been swallowed up by the sudden emergence of the plant. The new monitoring post seems to be safe for now."
"What's the current situation?" Gawain raised his head and looked up at the canopy that covered the sky as he asked, "Is it still growing? I heard that it had swallowed up the first monitoring post in 48 hours. The canopy has extended to the walls of Solin Fortress … "
"It's still growing slowly, but it has slowed down to a negligible level since 12 hours ago. Druil in the camp has preliminarily determined that the 'surge period' should be over. In at most 24 hours, its expansion will stop and enter the equilibrium stage. As for what will happen after that, we can't be sure yet."
"What about the casualties?" Gwen quickly asked.
"No soldiers were killed. Everyone was evacuated in time. Only three soldiers were slightly injured when they were transporting supplies, and …" Margarita frowned.
Marguarita furrowed her brows at this point, as if what she was going to say was too strange and she needed to organize her words. She paused for a moment before continuing, "I don't know if it's because of the giant tree, but the healing speed of the injured soldiers was much faster than normal. Without the use of alchemy potions, the wounds of the three healed within an hour. I've done some tests and confirmed that there is a special environment around the giant tree that can nourish life force. Everyone in the area can recover their physical strength and energy quickly, and even minor injuries can be healed quickly. "
"Oh?" Gwen could not help but raise his eyebrows. He suddenly remembered the subtle magic environment he had just felt … It did not seem to be an illusion.
"It feels like the whole area is shrouded in a continuous healing spell, but Druil and the Magic Observers have not found any form of magic fluctuation. This giant tree is releasing power in a way that we can't understand … This is beyond the existing magic theory," Margarita continued. "At present, we are doing further observation and calculation of the magic field around Solin Fortress, but its scale is too large. It has exceeded the perception limit of any observation eyepiece or measuring spell. I'm afraid it's difficult to describe its spell model with conventional methods …"
"It's okay. Take it slow. This thing is probably going to take us a long time to study …" Gwen exhaled and stepped into the camp. "Let's talk as we go."
The entourage immediately followed, including Bard Wendell, who was still in a "semi-escort" state, and Pitman, who was the senior advisor.
As they walked towards the giant tree, Bard could not help but look up and look at the miraculous plant with undisguised astonishment. Pitman, who was beside him, asked casually, "Do you know where this thing came from?"
"… This is beyond my knowledge," Bard said honestly. "To be honest, although I've lived in Everything's End for many years, I'm just a middle-level priest. In all the secret plans I've come into contact with … there's nothing related to this tree."
Pitman pursed his lips. "I was expecting you to know more than me … But after so many years, you're just a middle-level priest …"
Bard smiled awkwardly, but soon vaguely felt that Pitman's words seemed to have some additional meaning. But before he could say anything, Pitman had already walked forward.
In front of the entourage, Marguarita was still reporting to Gwen the intelligence gathered from the monitoring camp.
"... At present, we can confirm that this plant grew out of the All Things Endgame's lair. Its roots are rooted in that shockingly large fissure, and there should be an even more complex and massive structure underground..."
"Under the Druil's suggestion, we dug up parts of the land east of Solin Castle and south of the forest crossing. We did find large scale roots of unknown origin …
"These plants that grew together with the giant tree have also been examined. The preliminary results did not find any abnormalities. Many of the plants are common species, and some are hard to identify. They should be subspecies that grow in remote areas …
"We tested those that are not poisonous on animals and found that they can even be eaten …
"There are gaps in the roots of the giant tree's trunk. A large number of roots, rocks and building walls together form a complex underground passage. We suspect that the passage leads to the depths of the Everything's End's nest. But there are very complex magic reactions inside. According to your instructions, we have not explored it yet …
"We have set up a sentry post and some lighting equipment near the trunk. The size of its canopy is too large. The central area is very poorly lit. Even at noon, it is difficult to see anything. We need additional lighting.
"We have not explored its canopy because it is too dangerous. The canopy seems to be slowly growing and changing. It is not stable yet …"
"Not bad." After Marguarita's report, Gwen nodded with satisfaction. "The information is timely and detailed."
Marguarita lowered her head. "It's what I should do."
Gwen nodded and looked at the gigantic trunk in the distance. It looked like a giant tower, but also like countless intertwined vines. "Let's go directly to the 'trunk' area."
Marguarita subconsciously said, "This may be a little dangerous. You are of noble status …"
"First of all, I'm here to check the situation in person. Otherwise, there's no difference between staying in the command post of the camp and staying in the palace. Second of all, I'm a Legend, and I'm not that fragile. Besides, we're going to a relatively safe area on the surface that has been explored once. Third of all …" Gawain glanced at the female knight in front of him and patted her shoulder. "Don't always focus on the issue of 'noble status'. Cecil is all about fulfilling your duty."
Marguarita was stunned for a moment. While she was in a daze, Gawain had already strode forward along the path the soldiers had cleared for him, heading towards the giant tree trunk in the distance.
The female Knight hurried to follow him.
The closer they were to the trunk, the darker the shadow caused by the huge canopy became. The soldiers in the camp had cleared a path in the grass and shrubs that grew crazily overnight. At this moment, the magic crystal lamps supported by iron poles on both sides of the path became the only light source to dispel the darkness. Gwen walked along the temporary path. From time to time, he would hear soft rustling sounds nearby. It was the sound of the swaying grass and trees.
Although the growth of the giant tree itself had stopped, the abnormal vitality brought by the giant tree was still working. Until now, there were still new plants growing out of the scorched earth, filling up the land that was suddenly full of vitality.
After moving forward for a while, Gwen came to the root of the giant tree.
The tower-like trunk and the huge roots that drilled out of the soil below the trunk appeared in front of him.
Temporary brackets of various sizes were fixed between the roots and the rocks nearby. High-power magic crystal lamps were hung on the brackets and on the surface of the trunk above. The artificial light dispelled the darkness and allowed Gawain to see the 'entrance' between the intertwined roots.
Just like what Margarita said, there was indeed an entrance. It was like a gate that had grown out of the ground. Two intersecting roots formed a triangular gap at the bottom of the trunk. The gap was so wide that a Warhammer-I tank could drive through it. There was a faint light inside the gap, which seemed to be the light from some kind of luminous moss.
Amber stood in front of the entrance and peeked inside. Two seconds later, she shrank back. "Oh my god, it's a little scary inside …"
Gwen looked at the Shame of All Things with a strange look. "You were born in the Shadowy Stronghold. I've never seen you cower when you steal tombs. Why are you afraid of this little bit of darkness?"
Amber's eyes widened. She put her hands on her waist. "Am I afraid of the dark? My five senses are very sharp! I don't know what's going on in here. I keep feeling that the whole underground space and the surrounding area are 'alive' … Ugh, it's creepy, okay? "
Gwen did not pay attention to the first half of Amber's explanation and boasting. After listening to the second half, he looked up at the dark canopy above.
"There's no doubt … It's alive …"
He turned his head and looked at Bard Wendell behind him.
"Are you ready?"
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