It seems that this time, it really worries them......

The moment my vision was obscured by the bark of the tree, my heart felt broken. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

The bark rose higher and higher, enveloping Mespier and me, completely isolated from Ellie.

Suddenly, it was as if my feet had suddenly turned into a puddle of soft mud, and my whole body sank.

Dark......

But not gloomy.

You can see the bright light of the stars, like the sunlight shining through the leaves of the trees on a summer day.

I was surrounded by something resin-like around me, but it wasn't dull at all.

On the contrary, it is unusually fresh, like the sap of the trees.

Suddenly, the bark wall burst open, forming a hollow-like door in front of me.

"Let's go"

Prince Maispear's voice was easy-going and powerful.

I shielded my hands from the blinding light and stepped out of the gap in the bark.

Countless leaves are slowly flying in the air.

These colorful leaves come from a variety of towering ancient trees.

A gentle stream flows over the pebbled ground.

It is a valley full of leaves and branches.

The leaves and branches don't seem to rot, and they have a soft touch and rustle when stepped on.

Densely packed with various trees, it winds its way up the sloping mountain in the distance.

The sunlight cast from the towering canopy is colorful.

When I looked back, the bark of the tree seemed to be cut off.

There is a triangular crack in it.

This is the cedar gate of Maispil.

"It's a lot slower than Shadow of Fire, but it's smooth."

Mespier seemed to understand what I was thinking, and explained in a slow tone.

"And this place is not suitable for the magic of fire"

The prince's armor did not seem to have the slightest sense of disobedience, and it felt like he was standing in this valley all along.

It all seems to have become one with the valley itself.

It's just that the flaming red cloak looks eye-catching.

Even more eye-catching than Mespier's silver-white pupils.

The prince raised his hand slightly, motioning for me to follow him.

The tall elf began to move slowly along the stream.

I followed after Mespier.

Compared to this elf, I care more about my surroundings.

Because it's so beautiful here.

In the beautiful sunshine, the clear water of the stream reflects the bright light.

Produces one small pillar of light after another.

Or shine on the huge trunk of a tree, or on the towering canopy.

Although I was in a deep valley and a dense forest, I didn't feel the slightest bit of depression.

The tall trunks of the trees hold the canopy high above the ground, leaving a large open space under the canopy.

The huge bodies of these trees are either white or brown, which also adds to the sense of space.

The stream, in particular, meanders up the valley like a red carpet.

You can occasionally hear a birdsong or two, but in such a forest, you can't see where the birds are.

Maybe some ferocious predator was staring at me from the low bushes where I was.

But I'm not scared at all.

The place is full of magic.

The smell of nature in its purest form penetrates through the nostrils and circles around the lungs.

The air I breathed was filtered and I was replenished with fresh nutrients.

It makes people's hearts become extraordinarily calm.

It's as calm as this valley that seems to have been settled in time.

"It's coming soon"

His Highness Mespier said a word, and I realized that we had been walking in the dense forest for half a day.

Shalalala――

It sounded like the sound of shards of ice falling to the ground.

I looked down and saw that the large transparent block of ice that covered my left hand was beginning to disintegrate.

It was full of cracks like some weathered gemstone.

As soon as the splinters fall off from above, they turn into a fine powder like sand.

It seems that it is really just an 'emergency treatment'.

As powerful as Maespil's magic was, he didn't seem to have any intention of bragging about it.

He is as solid as his steps, and every step is literally in the ground.

Turning over a small hill, my eyes suddenly brightened.

By cheerfulness, I don't mean that the trees are gone, and the sky is back in view.

Rather—

In the crater ahead, the size of the trees is so large that it has exceeded the limits I could have imagined.

Once upon a time, when the tallest building in the city was completed, I visited it.

I vividly remember that Mo Fei and I had to tilt our heads to see the whole picture of the nearly 500-meter-high building.

And that's exactly what it's looking like now.

This huge space, which covers the crater, is surrounded by many large trees that jut directly into the sky.

Their rolling canopy shades the entire annular valley, creating a greenhouse-like environment.

But the leaves did not completely block out the light, and countless beautiful golden pillars of light fell from the top of the canopy, illuminating the valley.

This circular valley is many times brighter than the forest we just walked through.

In the valley, apart from the sparse, towering trees, there is only low grass.

There are some small bright white flowers blooming in the grass.

In the middle of this grassland is a pond.

There is a small island in the middle of the pond.

A white arched bridge connects the meadow to the island.

And this island ......

A straight white cedar tree about ten meters tall stood there.

It is not the same as all the trees around it.

The trunk is brown with fiery red stripes.

But the canopy is pure white.

Including the branches and leaves, all are pure white.

It's not the miserable whiteness of a white wall, but a kind of white that seems to be poured out of melted gemstones, which seems to be a little shiny, and looks very low-key and plain.

It's as if there is something that is emphasizing its own existence.

Yes, it's like having a soul.

Prince Mespil stood in front of me, gazing with reverence at the trees in the distance.

"Elvet Remitis"

The prince said the name, and then stood up respectfully.

"That's Alan Akag"

As he spoke, Mespier turned his head and stared at me with a pair of silver-white eyes.

"The first Elven King of the Dawn Mountains, where the soul is located"

"The embodiment of his immortal wisdom and kindness"

"King Allen's White-crowned Tree"

I was shivering.

It's called a 'holy place'.

If it is in a movie scene, it will definitely be accompanied by a magnificent symphony to set off the solemnity and sacredness of such a great thing.

Out of the bare minimum of courtesy, I respectfully straightened up and bowed deeply.

"King Allen will understand, your words and deeds imply your respect"

Mespil's voice sounded calm, and seemed to be a little pleased with my actions.

"Come with me, mortal"

Mortal......

It sounds so ironic, but there is no other word that makes my heart flutter more than the title 'mortal'.

At this moment, I felt as if I was a believer who had been baptized.

It is so close to the world where God lives.

It seems that with every step you take, you get closer to heaven.

The closer you get to this white-crowned tree, the calmer the taste of the magic becomes.

But the power of the magic is getting stronger and stronger.

I could feel the magic of the whole natural world sneering at the filth on my left hand.

It was as if all the animals in the whole valley were staring at me, trying to rush up and tear me to shreds.

This is probably the natural rebellion of the sacred against the filthy.

Walk slowly up the white arch bridge.

The bridge was not made of stone, but of bark piece by piece.

The elven craftsmen pressed the bark together to form the same shape as bricks and stones.

Then a bridge was built.

"It's been hundreds of millions of years since the original Elven King of the Dawn Mountains passed away"

Mespier, once more, seemed to understand the doubts in my mind, and began to explain to me in a slow tone.

"No man-made thing can last so long"

"Even stones can be destroyed by the torrent of time"

"Only the trees in this valley can settle in the long river of time"

At this, the prince turned back to me and smiled mysteriously.

I don't know what kind of feelings he has in his heart, I don't understand it at all.

"Okay, I'll just send you here"

Maispear stopped.

This tree is thicker than expected.

It looks like a giant sequoia tree.

Underneath it, near the roots, there is a triangular vacancy.

It seems to be the emptiness that arises from an irresistible antiquity.

The lowest point was about the width of a door and more than two meters high.

It was covered with wood debris.

"Stand inside, if you need help, the white-crowned tree will definitely lend a hand"

I nodded slightly, and then plucked up the courage to walk up.

Walked into the hollow of the tree, turned around, and looked at Maispear outside.

In a pillar of sunlight, the armor on the prince's body reflected a blinding light.

The silver-white ring on his head and the silver-white eyes were eclipsed.

There is a feeling of warmth inside the tree hole.

It's as if it's wrapped in something wonderful.

Everything about me is known to them, and there is nowhere to hide.

Let's go.

Let's get it......

Rain?

No, it's the sap of the tree.

Above my head, uneven, faults in the trees seeped out.

Fresh as spring rain.

Rustled down on me.

This is what Elle calls 'the sap of the white-crowned tree'.

It can purify filth.

I looked down at my hands.

The sap of the tree dripped on top of the black-and-red glass slag-like stuff, as if hot water had fallen on the ice.

The shards began to dissolve, and then turned into vapor, emitting from my hands.

Disappeared without a trace.