Chapter 168 - Mental Pollution

Atwood and his companions were also a bit flustered.Not long ago, that gnoll Susie had just gone through a wilderness adjustment and obtained the inheritance of the ancient dragon soul, Frederick, demonstrating monstrous killing power.

The Corruption Twilight Guardian which had entangled them for half a day without any damage was buried alive just moments before.

And now, the brazen and unrivaled Foul Giants, using a set of instant traps, were knocked senseless, almost falling right here.

Now, however, the young dragon had entered a similar state.

If the change in a gnoll was so significant, what kind of monstrous entity would the young dragon become?

Atwood and his companions no longer dared to think further.

The only consolation was that the other party was on their side.

Looking at Aivensa’s condition, she wouldn’t be waking up any time soon.

Gaven took advantage of this period to carry out a comprehensive search and investigation of the entire Dragon’s Nest Cave, checking for any points they had missed or undiscovered passages. He didn’t want to be caught off guard by the enemy.

This search indeed turned up something for Gaven and his team.

This Ancient Dragon Nest, like others, had multiple exits.

Besides the one they had previously used, another entrance was located above, at the site of the main trunk of the Dragon Scale Oak.

The main trunk of the Dragon Scale Oak likely grew out from the entrance.

The part on the ground wasn’t even a primary root; it was part of the trunk. The actual primary roots were in this dragon nest, next to a small pond.

Underneath the giant roots, they not only found traces of dragon bones but also traces of treasure—both had merged with the Dragon Scale Oak.

To this, Gaven didn’t feel too disappointed.

Although no physical treasures were found, he had earned a living treasure. Just one dragonized gnoll, Susie, made him a fortune, not to mention the Young Red Copper Dragon which had also entered a state of evolution—an acquisition that money alone could not buy.

And this was just the beginning.

Having discovered the secret of this place, how could Gaven let it sit idle? He would organize for other gnolls to come here on pilgrimage, to see if they could unearth a few more dragonized gnolls.

Gaven planned to make this a sacred site for gnolls. Ah yes, the right to pilgrimage wasn’t for everyone; it must stay firmly within his grasp.

With this mindset while searching the Dragon’s Nest Cave, Gaven acted more like he was inspecting his new territory, pondering how exactly to develop it.

Of course, there was a major prerequisite for this task—to get the work done with Lord Virginia.

And that was no small feat.

Allowing the lieges of other forces and races to move freely through one’s own territory;

Gaven himself didn’t think he could do that.

Lord Virginia arrived much earlier than Gaven had anticipated because he came, having used a teleportation spell.

Seeing the lord using a teleportation spell, Gaven’s cheeks involuntarily twitched.

Was this woman really taking him for a fool?

If she could use a teleportation spell, why did she need his urgent reinforcement for Stelina before?

Even if wanting to use his strength, why not just open a portal and send him over directly?

Lord Virginia seemed to read Gaven’s mind again and proactively explained, "The day I asked for your support for Stelina, I’d just had a fierce battle with the Foul Giants. All my spell slots were exhausted, greatly reducing my strength, and I was, therefore, unable to open a portal for you."

"My lord, you worry too much," Gaven lied through his teeth, "I hadn’t even considered that. By the way, just now a Foul Giant, along with a group of Dark Servants, came to check the situation. We drove them off, and the entrance to the Dark Domain has also been temporarily sealed by me."

Lord Virginia, seeing through his lies but not dwelling on it, bowed graciously and sincerely thanked him, "We owe you a great deal for this. If it were not for you, the Carrier Bug might have escaped. We wouldn’t have even known that the Foul Giants had infiltrated the Dragon Scale Oak. Had they emerged en masse from underground, it would have been the day of reckoning for the Spring Bud Forest."

"Actually, it shouldn’t be Lord Virginia thanking me, but rather me, on behalf of the people of Rocklands, thanking you," Gaven responded with an equally solemn demeanor.

"Thank me? For what?" Virginia didn’t immediately follow Gaven’s train of thought; her clean and radiant face showed a hint of confusion and curiosity.

"Just now, I had an encounter with that Foul Giant, and almost fell victim to its Evil Eye Curse," Gaven involuntarily shuddered, "They are a naturally malevolent race, delighting in destruction and distortion. If not for Lord Virginia leading our people to confine them here, they would have long since poured into Rocklands through the veils and turned it into a land of distortion. Don’t you think I should thank Lord Virginia?"

Unable to help herself, Virginia chuckled, "That ’thank you’ is a bit far-fetched. We fight them for our own survival, without thinking so far ahead. I can’t take that responsibility."

Gaven turned the tables, "My lord, it was just a possibility you mentioned before, and I also can’t bear that burden."

"My lords, if you continue with these formalities, it may start to seem a bit hypocritical. For a cursed race like the Foul Giants, growing in power benefits no one. Our two territories are like two grasshoppers tied on either end of a string; trouble for one means trouble for the other," Stelina interjected, cutting through the mutual compliments that even she found somewhat nauseating.

Rough though the words were, they had their wisdom and woke Gaven to a new idea, one to persuade Lord Virginia.

If Spring Bud Fortress fell to the Foul Giants, and Spring Bud Forest was lost, Gaven would have to face the threat from the darkness alone.

Similarly, if his territory was overtaken by the Santarin Association, Spring Bud Fortress would have to face further threats and harassment from the Association.

This was the crux for both parties to reach a compromise and collaborate.

With this idea in mind, Gaven was in less of a hurry. Smiling, he said, "Let’s first solve the corruption issue here. After that, I think it’s necessary for us to sit down for a deeper conversation to explore the possibility of working together."

"I also believe it’s necessary," Virginia said, glancing at the two Gnolls and nodding solemnly.

After hearing Stelina’s report back at Spring Bud Fortress, Virginia had felt the need to reassess Lord Gaven and his Gnolls.

Perhaps she had slightly underestimated the abilities of these Gnolls before.

As Virginia walked toward the source of the pollution, she asked Gaven, "Lord Gaven, what do you think is the essence of the Foul Giants’ polluting mutation power?"

The essence of the pollution? Was it not the encroachment of a dark and evil force?

This thought had barely surfaced in Gaven’s mind before he dismissed it.

He had personally witnessed the distortion and depravity caused by the Devil’s Hell Power and the Abyssal Purgatory Power, which were the epitome of dark and evil forces.

But none were as bizarre and unpredictable as the mutation power of the Foul Giants’ pollution.

Involuntarily, Gaven remembered the eerie feeling of being stared at by the Evil Eye of a Foul Giant, as if his entire being was off. He always felt as if something was burrowing through his body, but when he really thought about it, was it an actual physical mutation or had his mind been influenced?

At that thought, Gaven couldn’t help but exclaim, "It’s a form of spiritual pollution! It acts through the mind and then manifests mutations in the body!"

Virginia halted in her steps, turning to look Gaven up and down with an expression of barely concealed surprise on her face.

"It seems I guessed correctly," said Virginia, her expression answering Gaven’s question.

Virginia nodded, "That’s right, their power comes from spiritual pollution. Legend has it that they were once among the most handsome races of Giants, even surpassing the Fae Race in beauty, possessing exceptional intellect and incomparable magical prowess.

However, their souls were far from a match to their perfect bodies. They once tried to conquer the Fairy Wilderness with force and enslave its inhabitants, wanting all of the magic and everything else for themselves.

This forced all the inhabitants to unite and, utilizing the power of the Fairy Wilderness, to afflict them with a terrible curse, the Mind-Body Synchronicity Curse.

The pure and beautiful of heart would have increasingly beautiful and robust bodies.

The corrupt and twisted of heart would have bodies as grotesquely deformed as their souls.

Regrettably, the hearts of all the Foul Giants are twisted and ugly. Their hearts hold only the curse of beauty, jealousy and hatred towards others, never reflecting on themselves. If only they could dig into the purity and goodness in their hearts, they could return to the strong, beautiful race they once were."

"That’s just legend, it can’t all be taken as fact!"

"Every legend has its roots, especially here in the Fairy Wilderness. Many legends are not just tales but forgotten history. Isn’t the Fairy Wilderness considered a mere legend in most places in the Material Plane?" Virginia replied with a smile. "To purge the corruption of the Foul Giants, one must start at the spiritual level. I believe in this respect, Lord Gaven is an expert. If possible, after this, I hope we can make use of your strength." The source of this content ɪs Novᴇ(l)Fɪre .ɴᴇt

Gaven scratched his head and said frankly, "Although I am a Psychic Sorcerer, my Professional Level is too low, and there’s still much that I’m trying to figure out. Even knowing it’s a spiritual corruption, I have no idea how to cleanse it; I’m utterly in the dark, which might make it difficult for me to be of any help."

"What I need isn’t your psychic strength, but the cohesion of your soul and heart, resistant to corruption. Leave the rest to me," Lord Virginia explained ambiguously.

"Alright, later on, I’ll do my best to cooperate with you. I’m quite interested in seeing how this spiritual corruption can be cleansed, especially since it involves the use of the heart and mind," said Gaven, his interest evidently piqued, as so far, everything he knew as a Psychic Sorcerer was self-taught.

Judging from the snippets that Virginia had let slip, even if she wasn’t an expert, she clearly had some knowledge in this area.

"Just be warned that you might be disappointed. The confrontation is not as mystical as you might imagine; in essence, it’s still a battle of strength," Virginia warned Gaven as they spoke.

As they talked, Virginia had made her way to the edge of the corruption pool, and two vines sprouted out of thin air, intertwining in front of them to form a vine bench.

Virginia took the left seat and extended her right hand to Gaven.

Gaven didn’t hesitate, reaching out with his left hand and grasping hers. Her skin was smooth, warm, and soft, like that of a baby, tempting one to give it a little squeeze.

Gaven suppressed this urge with force; acting on it would probably be taken as molestation.

"Relax your mind, let’s begin."

With Virginia’s words, Gaven felt his Soul Consciousness beginning to detach and rise into the air, soaring higher and higher.

Until he was overlooking the Spring Bud Forest from above, irresistibly drawn to gaze downward.