Catherine ignored the words of the oracle, and her heart was sinking into a dark depression.

The carriage continued to move forward slowly, and Catherine suddenly shuddered and woke up. She hurriedly looked out the window, and the carriage, which was still at the edge of the forest, had entered the forest at some point.

Compared with the endless ice and snow, the scenery outside the window at this moment is more monotonous and gloomy. Catherine saw only the thick, dark trunks of the trees, standing densely on both sides of the road. The trunks are smooth in appearance and free of any mottled blemishes.

The female mage unconsciously reached out and brushed over these trees, which were a little against the laws of natural growth. There was a warm touch from the fingertips, and there was no cold in the snow.

"There is no snow or ice here. Catherine muttered to herself. She cautiously poked her head out, looking back and forth. The carriage drove along a long, straight black path. The road was only a little wider than the carriage, and if the mage's neck stretched any longer, she would crash into the trees on the side of the road. The pavement of the trail is surprisingly smooth, like a deep mountain pool without a trace of evening breeze, and it is so dark that you can't see it to the end. The carriage drove on it, almost silently. Hidden at both ends of the road in the dense forest with no end in sight, the female mage could not help but have the illusion that they had stayed where they had been and had not advanced.

Catherine looked up at a large tree in front of her, and the branches above her head were so dense and crisscrossed that she could not see the sky at all. The mage tried to observe the branches, but she was unable to see the form of a single branch or leaf. Because her eyes are always involuntarily confused, the direction of the branches will deviate, and the shape of the leaves will be blurred. In the end, all that remained in the pupils was the boundless darkness.

Catherine shook her head slightly, giving up the pointless attempt. The trees in the gray forest seem to spontaneously obscure the scene in the forest. Catherine was like an unwelcome visitor, unwilling to show even the tiniest leaf to the stranger.

"Didn't you want to welcome me, why is this forest so hostile to me?" said Catherine, in a questioning tone.

"My lord, please bear with these rude trees. They just make judgments on their instincts, after all, your clothes come from the bodies of their fellow citizens. The oracle replied in a low voice, "They don't know what a privilege they have to give to you." ”

Catherine leaned back in her seat, closed her tired eyes and closed her eyes, "But this makes me uncomfortable, how long are we going to go?"

"Soon. My lord, it's coming soon. The messenger shouted as he spoke, and there was a loud "crackling" sound in the air.

It was the sound of a horsewhip striking into the air, as if the driver had quickened up because of Catherine's displeasure. The female mage was amused in her heart, squinting her left eye and glancing out the window. Unexpectedly, the trees that were originally one by one were no longer visible, and instead they were lined up with black walls. This is obviously an illusion created by the eyes after the speed of the carriage increases.

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long, and before they could run for a few minutes, the carriage stopped with a "boom". Catherine almost didn't fall in the carriage.

"What's going on?" asked the female mage, leaning out half-leaning out.

"What's that?" Catherine was immediately surprised to see that the road ahead was blocked. There was a strange little tree growing in the middle of the black pavement.

Actually, it's a small tree, compared to the tall and straight trees on both sides of the road. The tree was in Catherine's eyes

It's not too small. At least its backbone, the female mage's two hands together can't hold it. The whole tree is about five or six meters high, and the leaves are small yellow-green round leaves, but they are not dense, but grow sparsely on a few branches, and the bark is mottled with green, black, yellow, and brown, and the color is really colorful in the kingdom of God for a long time; its branches are less branched, but there are a few oblong brown fruits with two pointed ends, which are quite eye-catching.

It was supposed to be a normal autumn tree, but here and now, it seemed out of place with the big trees in the gray forest. What is especially surprising is that the tree is standing upside down on the pavement. The roots of the tree were high up, hanging from the red earth that had not yet been shaken off, and the crown of the tree stood on the ground against the branched branches.

It stood in front of the carriage, and the palm of the cart trembled, and its four fingers stretched out, and the whole thing lay on the ground, as if it was very afraid of the strange tree in front of it.

"That's a tree, why did it grow here?" added Catherine, after a moment of deliberation, "I guess it didn't grow here, someone pulled it out and stuck it in the road." ”

"My lord, I beg your pardon. The envoy spoke with a little embarrassment, "That's our sacrifice to the Lord." He...... He doesn't usually be seen in the Grey Forest. ”

"Yours - a tree - I mean the sacrifice of the Lord. Catherine was a little speechless, "Hmm...... It's impressive. ”

The mage leaned her chin on the edge of the window, "What does he want to do?

"I'm afraid not. Our gods did not send down oracles. "But the sacrificial lords are not for me to ask, for they are the most faithful servants of my gods." ”

"They? Catherine looked at the miraculous priest, "I'm not here to welcome, I'm here to find fault." What do you say now?"

"It's a real problem. The oracle stood up and paced back and forth on the front edge of the carriage. The sudden appearance of the sacrificial lord must have disrupted his original plan.

"If you don't talk to him, get him out of the way. Catherine gloated, "Since it was your gods who asked me to go, this most loyal servant would surely understand, let alone oppose God's will." ”

"Your Excellency, your words are true. The oracle bowed slightly, and said, "But you have seen it, Lord Priest—I would say that he is a tree." How do I communicate with a tree?"

"That's not a question I'm supposed to answer. Catherine said heartlessly, "You don't have a lot of options, you might as well get someone to move him out." ”

"Thank you for the suggestion. The oracle actually thought about it seriously, "Then please wait patiently for a while, and I will find someone." He bowed respectfully, jumped out of the car and flashed into the forest by the roadside.

Catherine frowned: Things don't seem to be quite right, the gods are leaving, isn't it just that she and this priest are left to face alone?