Chương 460: Traversing The Wall Forest. Night Dangers.

Night Dangers.

Jolie looked at her mother's smile, and her heart skipped a beat.

"Mother… Why are you showing such a nervous smile?" The silver-haired Sylvan paused and looked at Jolie with faint confusion.

"What do you mean?" She then looked at her own hands. When she observed the faint trembling, her heart's motions also entered her senses.

'I am… nervous. No, this is not nervousness.' Her smile slowly disappeared, and her mind slowly caught up to the thoughts that she wanted to hide. Then, as she looked at the gradually clearing sky, her expression fell.

'We are in the first half of the Wall Forest. Her ability covered it entirely, and the trees and beasts didn't even react to her.' That could only mean two things. The first, Liu Shu's roots had spread this far, and perhaps, even beyond. It would be a bad thing, since many of their plans most likely leaked through subordinates who couldn't keep their mouths closed. Such risks were things that one needed to take into account. But that was not the scary conclusion.

By this time, even if the World Tree discovered their plans, it would be a bit too late. Any preparations would be incomplete and full of holes that they could later take advantage of. What Evangeline feared was the second option. When she thought of the second option, cold sweat began pouring down her back. She didn't even want to voice it, but she couldn't ignore it. So, with a mutter, as if she was trying to make it difficult to listen to, she spoke.

"Does Tianlian Liu Shu control the Wall Forest? Jolie heard her mutter, and her heart jumped once again. This time, the beating didn't stop as she perfectly understood what it meant to take control of the Wall Forest. A sense of dread filled her body, making her limbs feel cold and numb, while her pupils dilated and her mind began thinking of many things. Her first instinct was to deny it.

"That… Mother, that should not be possible. There are no historical records of something similar happening in the past. Even Warlya at her peak didn't mess around with the Wall Forest." Evangeline nodded and slowly calmed her mind, trying to take a deep breath.

"Thalric won't think of this option. His righteousness makes him somewhat blind to smaller details. However, I am not sure about Eryndis and Vaelin. Vaelin has long come to understand that you need to accept the worst-case scenario when dealing with that World Tree. Eryndis, on the other hand, is still somewhat skeptical but shouldn't deny the option…" Looking at Jolie, she ordered.

"Tell the messengers to inform them about the option. Even if I am overthinking, if we have the idea in our minds, it will help us in case of an ambush." Jolie nodded and took out a tablet from the bag tied to the side of her saddle. Then, she began touching the runes, creating a message on the circular runic tablet. This tablet was tied with many others, and if anyone wrote anything on it, it would appear on the others as well.

To make sure that there was no overlap, the entire item was divided, and each person would write in their own space. The other leaders received the message shortly after, and as Evangeline expected, there was quite a lot of disbelief and doubt. The advisors in each group were divided on this issue. Some advised caution and a clean approach: destroying the forest in their way. Meanwhile, others suggested continuing on as they had until then.

Eryndis thought hard and long, eventually coming to the conclusion that attacking the forest would be counterproductive. If, by any chance, it was a misconception created by the enemy, their attack would turn the now peaceful forest against them. They were risking too much, so she instructed everyone to stay put and continue their advance.

"The forest is not attacking us yet, and we are deep within it. The risk of Tianlian Liu Shu trapping us is as high as the other guess. We do not have sufficient reasoning to start a forest cleansing." Evangeline could understand the logic behind the decision, but she just felt it in her gut that it was a big mistake not to take action. Jolie consoled her.

"Mother, even if your hunch is correct, attacking the forest will tire our troops even before we arrive at the other side. Perhaps, when we arrive, we will find an enemy army that will take advantage of our weakness. I think we should listen to Lady Eryndis." When she heard that, Evangeline smiled wryly.

"A single move is enough to send all of us into disarray. To be honest, we should retreat. However, if I suggest that, I'll be killed or worse." Looking at the depths of the forest, Evangeline now understood why conquering the Golden Sap Forest was considered an <Optional Objective> in her mission. Our World Tree observed everything, and even if she could only catch hints here and there because of the stealth device, she understood that the enemy chose not to attack the forest and continue their march.

'Hm~. I expected them to attack my forest. They've been quite paranoid for a while already, so my show of might should've pushed them to go crazy.' Even if her plan went somewhat awry, she didn't mind.

'Well, since our first plan didn't work, we can use the second one~. Let's start shaving off your numbers, shall we~?' Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Big Sister Fortuna, Big Sister Prarya, are you ready? We will attack this night~." Fortuna answered softly.

"Understood." Prarya was quite energetic.

"Hoho~, I have not fought a war since forever! I wonder if the enemy can break through and reach my walls~." Unlike the Terragore, who were monsters of the land, the World Trees were more than agreeable to participate when fighting the Abyssal Void Nexus. The difference was that monsters acted mainly according to instinct, and their violence was usually a result of their wish to expand and survive. It was part of the natural cycle of life.

Meanwhile, intelligent creatures had the mental maturity to understand that World Trees shouldn't be destroyed, yet still chose to do so. They had enough power and intelligence to speak instead of war between each other, but they didn't do so. Therefore, an intelligent creature aiming for another was several times worse than when two unintelligent ones did it. Of course, this generalization was far too broad, and there were many exceptions to the rule.

Still, a World Tree would usually decide whether to interfere within a spectrum of those ideas. Regardless, Liu Shu didn't ask the Wall Forest to attack. The reasoning was that the Wall Forest alone would suffer extremely heavy damage if it were to attack them as they were now. Yes, the number of trees was ridiculously high. However, wide area of effect spells could flatten large areas and give them enough breathing space and distance to continue advancing or retreat.

'I don't want them to retreat and regroup~. Cross it, and be welcomed into my territory. You will be our foundation to help us jump onto the world stage.' Crossing the forest wouldn't usually take longer than a day. However, when you were an army of several hundred thousand, the speed of advancement became much slower. Moreover, after Evangeline's messages, everyone was moving as if the next flower they spotted would grow teeth and swallow their face.

The sense of danger and dread was something easy to feel across the army. So, night arrived when they crossed nearly 80% of the Wall Forest. If they wanted to continue forward, they'd need another three hours. Still, on the other side of the forest, it was enemy territory. So, they didn't want to risk it and decided to set camp inside the forest. Eryndis knew that the World Tree would attack during the night. So, she ordered the entire army with a few words.

"We are approaching enemy territory, so the leaders of your groups will choose an order to keep your group safe at night. Any movement or strange sound will be reported to your immediate superior, who, in turn, will inform a general. The general is in charge of investigating." Generals of the army were powerful <Third Energy Cycles>, so not sleeping for a single night was much too easy. When Liu Shu saw the arrangements, her roots wiggled with anticipation.

Below the army, a large ant tunnel section was available, and with a few touches, she managed to move the land to match the tunnels with the camping tents they set aboveground.

"Well, let's get to work~. Don't wake up anyone and be patient." In the provisional camp, an army soldier was resting on top of his bed with open eyes. There was a sense of unease that made it difficult to sleep. The same went for most people. As this soldier was resting on the makeshift bed, he heard a small rustling around him. This startled him, and he reached out for the sword below his pillow. Once he unsheathed the sword, he looked around with his body trembling.

It was the middle of the night inside a forest, so he could see nothing—only silhouettes created by the dim light of the Moon.

'What was that sound? Did I imagine it?'

"Hey, are you awake?" He called to his companion at the side. Still, he received no answer. Looking over, he saw the bulge, covered by the sheets, calm and still.

"... Sleeping so soundly with such a threat just under our feet. You are truly something. Tomorrow, you must teach me." He shook his head and lay back down on his bed. He was nervous, but with time, his eyelids got heavier and he soon fell asleep. Once he did, the bulge by his side deflated as the things below it wiggled and hid back into the earth. Once they left, there was nothing left on the provisional bed by the man's side.

In a tent not too far away to the right, a female soldier was resting lightly when her eyes flung open. A sense of suffocation overwhelmed her as her entire body was coiled by roots, and her mouth and nose were covered with a strange sticky leaf. The feeling was like having your mouth filled with honey, making it hard to scream, breathe, or even open your mouth. Then, as she panicked and tried to fight off the roots, a sense of weightlessness enveloped her.

'Wha—?' BANG! Her head rang as her back and head hit solid ground. Looking around, the luminescence of the plants on the walls allowed her to understand that she was in a cave.

'Where am I?' Before she could answer her own question, she saw giant ants poking their heads from the holes and corners of the tunnel. Her entire body turned cold as dread filled her mind.

'A-Ant nest!? We are camping over an ant nest!?" Using her strength, she grabbed the leaf covering her mouth and ripped it off. It was strangely easy compared to before, but she was not in a state of mind that would take that into account. She tried to get up and shouted for help, but…

"HEL—" …it was too late. CHOMP! Such an eerie event occurred throughout the military camp, leaving thousands of empty beds and posts vacant during the night. The three World Trees worked together, their roots and energy manipulating the ground and roots to pull them into the earth without any sound. When Eryndis received the report the next morning, her face was cold.

'Seven thousand dead people… Among them, 12 were Third Energy Cycles.' She rubbed her forehead with a big sigh.

"Reorganize the army and depart as soon as possible. We are leaving this forsaken forest as fast as we can." Looking in the direction of the World Trees, Eryndis clenched her jaw.

"You really like to play, right? I'll play with you until the end, then."