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#217. A view looking up (1)
A wilderness where the rain has stopped.
Dwarves in outdoor gear were moving busily around the World Tree, carrying panels with long ropes attached to them.
There were also those inspecting the branches and leaves from the high deck of Rael Lowe.
“The condition of the leaves on the left is all good! There is absolutely no trace of contamination by black rain, and there is absolutely no abnormality in the internal vitality level!”
“The right side is the same!”
“There’s nothing wrong with the land! Nutrient levels within a 30 meter radius have actually increased compared to a few hours ago!”
Shouts of admiration erupted from all sides.
This was the result of directly seeing with my own eyes the strong vitality of the World Tree and its ability to purify the soil.
But it wasn’t just the dwarves who felt surprised.
“It’s impossible to imagine that the health of plants can be diagnosed with precise numbers. It’s a method that elves can’t even imagine.”
Greene couldn’t take her eyes off the dwarves’ busy work.
Ray asked a question.
“What do elves do?”
“Communicate. Listen to, empathize with, and understand what flowers, trees, animals, and bugs say.”
“…Do flowers and trees speak?”
“Hmm? Of course?”
The boy and the elf looked at each other with questioning eyes.
It was Ray who attempted to refute first.
“I think animals and bugs can communicate. They have the magic of ministry. However, flowers and trees don’t have wills in the first place, so they can’t communicate.”
“Why do you think flowers and trees can’t express themselves?”
“Well, it’s not a living thing.”
Greene made a face that seemed to indicate that he understood why their opinions did not match.
“What is Ray’s standard for living things?”
“A living, moving thing.”
“But plants, including flowers and trees, also move. If you look closely at the branches and leaves of the World Tree, you can see that they are swaying.”
“It just seems to be swaying in the wind. It’s not moving on its own.”
Grinega smiled.
“Can you look at it again? It’s not the wind that’s shaking the branches. It’s the World Tree that’s shaking its branches to the wind.”
If the World Tree felt uncomfortable with the wind, it would not have moved its body.
At Greene’s words, Ray narrowed his eyes and glared at the World Tree.
“… I don’t know.”
“Why don’t you know this?”
“I can’t feel the difference.”
“Why can’t I feel it?”
“… … .”
“I don’t understand.”
“Just─.”
“Ray, you know what I mean, now that you’ve experienced it yourself.”
A voice suddenly cut in from the side.
When I turned my head, I could see Veronica running away, crying in the distance.
Ray was contemplating whether to chase after her when Greene’s voice came into his ear.
“Maybe it’s because humans live in a much faster time than plants. Before I met Ray, I felt that way when I traveled around the human sector. Humans are like sparks.”
“flame?”
“Yes, it’s a flame that must burn brightly throughout life. Since our lifespan is shorter than that of other species, we must shine as much light as possible within the time allowed. We work, study, socialize, devote ourselves to something, develop, and… … without rest.”
Greene, who was listing the human appearances he had seen, smiled at Ray at the end.
“The most intense flame I’ve ever seen is Ray-nim. When I think about it again, it’s probably natural that humans who live in fast time can’t perceive the subtleties of plants that live in slow time. But Ray-nim, you’re a human, right?”
“… … .”
To be honest, I didn’t fully understand Greene’s story.
However, I could feel that the elf worldview was very different from that of humans.
Afterwards, the topic of conversation turned to the outstanding technology possessed by the dwarves.
“If we were to share territory with the dwarves, we could receive a lot of help in managing the World Tree. However, I’m not sure how the elves of the last forest would accept coexistence with the dwarves.”
Ray suddenly remembered something he had heard from Greene before.
“You said that the two races have not been on good terms since ancient times?”
“According to the records preserved in the Last Forest, it simply says that they don’t get along well… But I think I understand after meeting the dwarves in person.”
The artificiality pursued by dwarves.
The naturalness that elves pursue.
According to Greene, the two races were completely opposite in their values.
“Do you feel disgusted when you see dwarves?”
“Well, no, it’s not like that. It’s not that I don’t like it. It’s just that I feel biologically uncomfortable and uncomfortable when I’m around them. It’s even more so when I see Elder Falun.”
We made a trans-species commitment to express our dislike for it.
Although he sent her a sharp gaze, Greene only twitched her long ears while watching Falun wandering away.
At that moment, it seemed like the inspection was over and the dwarves retreated from the World Tree.
Ray took a step forward and placed his palm on the base of the World Tree.
“… … .”
… a rough texture.
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According to Greene, even if you pour the same amount of mana into the World Tree, you won’t be able to expect the same growth as in the morning.
It is said that the characteristic of the world tree is that once it reaches a certain height, its growth rate slows down significantly and it grows slowly for the rest of its life.
However, he said that each individual has a different personality and there are slight differences.
Ray closed his eyes and tried to communicate with the World Tree.
‘hi.’
No answer came back.
‘My name is Ray.’
This time there was no answer.
‘I’m trying to make my height bigger and I’d like you to join me in this effort.’
It was just an empty cry.
After that, I tried to communicate in various ways, but the result did not change.
It was a moment when Greene’s words about communicating with plants became doubtful once again.
‘Should I just burn it?’
It was at that moment that I felt something trembling from the World Tree.
Ray, who intuitively felt that it was time to inject green mana, immediately concentrated his mind.
Woofwoofwoofwoof──!
Mana containing the elements of growth spread throughout the World Tree’s body.
A few minutes passed like that.
Bruise. Bruise.
Ray, who took his palm off and stepped back, was able to look up at the World Tree that had grown to an incredible height.
Grineger approached and exclaimed in admiration.
“Wow! It seems to have grown almost twice as much. How tall do you think it is now?”
“It must be at least 200 meters, no, 300 meters.”
At the same time, Falun, approaching from a different direction, answered.
“I’ll have to measure the exact height, but it’ll keep growing for a while, so measuring it now won’t mean much. This tree grew in less than half a day. I can’t believe it no matter how hard I rub my eyes.”
Grinye nodded in admiration at Falun’s words and asked Ray.
“If you look at the results of how much time was brought forward for growth, it seems to be greater than the morning. But Ray-nim is much less tired. How did you do it?”
“I got good cooperation through conversation.”
“Ah! Did you succeed in communicating?”
“I think we’ll be good friends.”
After that, helping the World Tree grow every morning and evening was added to Ray’s daily routine.
The World Tree grew from as much as a hundred meters to as little as a few dozen meters each time mana was injected into it.
Through repeated interactions, Ray learned that the World Tree was greedy for height.
At what moment?
The stump no longer grew wider, and growth was directed entirely toward the sky.
And on the fourth day.
“Have a nice trip.”
“Ray, when you get back, be sure to tell me what you saw up there.”
“You absolutely must not get hurt! If you feel like it can’t be done, you must come down immediately. Got it?”
With everyone seeing him off.
Ray, who had received the food pack, began to climb the World Tree with Is.
The trunk of the World Tree was so large that the slightly peeling bark provided ample space for humans and dwarves.
Ray would step on successive shells to climb up the stairs, and would also leap big like a rock climber to grab the next step.
Sometimes I would look around the hollow, cave-like interior.
“Let’s go together! You’re going too fast!”
When I lowered my head at the shout I heard, I saw Iss coming up, struggling.
Both boys wear dwarven gloves and boots to aid in physical exercise.
Ray could even use strengthening magic there, so it was obvious who would rise faster.
“You don’t have to go out of your way to chase after me.”
“We can’t just send humans! We need to send a representative of the dwarves too!”
“Were you sent here against your will?”
“No! I volunteered! Of course! If not me, who would go!”
If you think about it, dwarves are said to be instinctively afraid of heights.
That was also the reason why Isman’s figure was reflected on the watchtower.
‘Is this a special constitution?’
Like me, there may be mutants with different characteristics from normal individuals.
Ray reached out and used strengthening magic on Iss as well.
“Oh…? Oh! I suddenly feel stronger!”
Leaving behind exclamations of admiration, I diligently increased my altitude.
WHEEK─! CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!
Climbing vertically against gravity required more than twice as much energy as moving on land.
“Haa, haa.”
My breathing quickly became unsteady.
My whole body was soaked with sweat.
However, my boiling curiosity made me move without resting for even a moment.
What would the world look like from up there?
A world tree this tall could probably reach Sky Island.
Besides that sense of curiosity, the amplified sunlight filtering through the leaves felt like it was energizing my body.
widely!
Ray let go of the protrusion he was holding onto and leaped upwards, grabbing onto the next protrusion.
‘The next ledge is quite far away. Hang here and rest for a while to recover your stamina…’
That’s when my heart started to pound.
A long ray of energy started from the yellow jewel and moved across the shoulder and down the arm.
“Shhh—shhh—.”
Lacrima appeared.
Ray asked, meeting the snake’s round, black eyes.
“You’ve rarely come out of your own accord without being called. And you’ve never been in a spirit form, but in a materialized form. Are you perhaps here to help me?”
Lakhria, who was tilting her head and licking her tongue, went over there along the trunk of the World Tree.
It was a sight full of emotions of joy, longing, and excitement.
‘Is this your feeling towards the World Tree?’
I thought that might be the case.
I’ve never actually seen one, but I’ve heard that the animals’ natural habitat is densely populated areas like forests and grasslands.
Ray took a breath.
The moment I was about to fly to grab the next protrusion.
Srrrrrrrrrr──
Beyond the giant trunk, Lakhria appeared again.
The spirits were able to arbitrarily adjust their body size when materializing, and in Larkria’s case, they were generally seen growing larger when in a good mood.
And now.
“How happy are you?”
Ray spoke as he looked at the head of Lakhria, which was so huge that it could swallow a person in one breath, before his eyes.
After a brief exchange of glances.
Lacria opened her mouth.
Ray took up a position, perching on the snake’s large fangs.
“Okay, I’m almost there─.”
The moment Ys’s shout was heard from below, Lakhria took off.
He climbed up the stem at the same speed as a moving vehicle, his mouth open to avoid swallowing Ray.
The top of the world tree.
It took only a few minutes for the snake’s head to appear through the thick branches and leaves.
Ray climbed down from the fangs and onto a thick branch nearby.
“I should have asked for your help sooner.”
The aftershock of the rush left my body slightly staggered, but it didn’t take long for me to regain my sense of balance.
And then slowly raise your head.
A moment of looking down on a world that was too vast to see the whole picture.
─Thump thump.
The boy’s heart began to beat.