Chapter 262 - Two Pretentious People Facing Off

Seeing the touched expression on Virginia’s face, Gaven pressed on, "The land has been cleared, and it’s just lying fallow. Why not take the opportunity to try it out? Plant for a few years, and if it’s no longer needed, or if it’s deemed unsuitable, we can simply revert it back to forest. This, too, requires time.""As far as I know, Apple Ridge, the largest apple-producing area in Spring Bud Forest, is near Spring Bud Fortress, definitely a part of the evacuation area. Why not transplant all those apple trees and the like there, maybe even to the Dragon Oak Mother Tree?"

Massive transplants are difficult for ordinary people.

But for Druids and Treants, it is far too simple.

Both have the special ability to awaken trees, granting them temporary life, and then guiding them as they move on their own.

"This is a matter concerning the entire Spring Bud Forest; I need to consult with the local leaders to determine the specifics," said Virginia. Although she did not agree directly, she did not reject the proposal either.

"Indeed, it should be so." Gaven also knew that such a change in mindset, for Virginia, for the Fae Race, and for Spring Bud Forest, wasn’t something that could happen overnight. They needed sufficient time to adjust.

Once they realized on their own that this was the best choice, they would do so without any prompting from him.

"I’ve basically finished introducing my side of things. How about your end?" Lord Virginia shifted the topic to Gaven and his companions.

Her gaze could not help but fall on the energy dragon wings that Gaven had not yet retracted, indicating that not only had they achieved ultimate victory, but they had also made significant gains.

"Since you’ve started on your end, finish what you were saying," Gaven said, not rushing to explain his own situation but instead focusing on Virginia.

"Haven’t I already finished explaining the situation with the Dragon Oak Mother Tree?" Lord Virginia did not catch on at first.

"Your personal growth, don’t tell me you didn’t gain anything from it, that the life energy from the Dragon Oak Mother Tree didn’t feedback to you," Gaven pointed out directly.

Gaven knew that not only he had benefits from the Dragon Oak Mother Tree, but Virginia, as the commander of this front and the manipulator of the Dragon Oak Dream Realm, would also have gained something. He wouldn’t believe otherwise.

"Oh, you’re talking about that, see for yourself," said Lord Virginia straightforwardly, showing Gaven her professional template.

Profession: 15th Level Mage (Prophecy)

Life Force: 140 (Life Dice 15D4+90+20)

Attributes: Strength 15, Dexterity 17, Constitution 19, Intelligence 23, Perception 19, Charisma 23

Special Abilities: Spring’s Erosion (Special Ability) — Bestowed by Dawn of Spring, it can weaken the opponent’s Will, perceive some of the opponent’s character preferences, making enchantment spells more likely to succeed.

Binding Arrow (Special Ability) — Bestowed by Dawn of Spring, it can immobilize the enemy hit by the arrow.

Teleporting Arrow (Special Ability) — Bestowed by Dawn of Spring, it can teleport the enemy hit by the arrow within a small range.

Radiance Burst (Special Ability) — Bestowed by Dawn of Spring, it blinds enemies.

Fairy Wilderness Resonance (Special Ability) — In tune with Spring Bud Forest, become its Lord, with the soul attuned to the land, to be reborn in the territory after death, as long as the territory exists, the soul persists. If the territory falls, the soul will merge into the land as soul energy, with the ability to control some of the forest’s power, promoted to Yaling Nobility of Dawn of Spring, all attributes increased by two.

Fairy Step (Special Ability) — Yaling race skill, able to teleport five meters.

Soul Dragon Transformation (Special Ability) — All attributes increased by one.

Dragonkin (Special Ability) — Native dragons of Fairy Wilderness will naturally come to like you, willing to become your subordinates.

Life Empowerment (Special Ability) — Life Force increased by 20 points.

Soul Detection (Special Ability) — Transcendent Intelligence reward, able to detect a part of someone’s thoughts through soul contact.

Intangible Enchantment (Special Ability) — Transcendent Charisma reward, causing all humanoid creatures to develop an invisible fondness, unable to harbor thoughts of attack, disadvantaged when launching attacks against you.

After looking over Lord Virginia’s attribute panel, Gaven was speechless for a long time, with only one phrase echoing in his mind—"cheater."

Long ago, he had guessed that Lord Virginia had very high attributes. Despite her frail appearance as if a gust of wind could blow her over, she was actually quite substantial beneath her clothes, with surprising curves that one hand could not grasp, and a perfect balance of abs and muscle lines.

Up close and without the use of equipment or special abilities, he found himself no match for her.

But he hadn’t expected her raw attributes to be so terrifying.

Not to mention the special abilities, which numbered ten.

And more than half of these were bestowed by the Yaling Nobility of Dawn of Spring.

No wonder the Yaling Nobility and the Yalings are said to be of different races, just this series of special abilities sets them apart.

But the price was steep; once one became Yaling Nobility, they were forever bound to their chosen territory, never to be lost.

Despite this price, Gaven was greatly envious and would find it hard to refuse if given the chance. Googlᴇ search novᴇl(ꜰ)ire.ɴet

Among them, Soul Dragon Transformation, Dragonkin, and Life Empowerment, the first two were definitely from this victory, and the last could be from this time or from when he had opened the Dragon Oak Portal before.

The reasons for the Soul Dragon Transformation and Life Empowerment need no explanation, as they were the same as his own.

The only difference was Dragonkin, the reason for this disparity was definitely tied to Virginia’s status as the Lord of Fairy Wilderness.

This ability was very powerful in the long run.

The phrase ’native dragon species of Fairy Wilderness’ was intriguing. Did it refer to those originating from the Fairy Wilderness or did all species born in the Fairy Wilderness count?

Even if it was the former, there were many dragons in the Fairy Wilderness, like Fairy Dragons and Joy Dragons that are important parts of it, only less powerful than True Dragons. But numbers count for something, with each having unique abilities, and a significant number would be quite formidable.

If it was the latter, attracting a few True Dragons to swear fealty would elevate Virginia’s status significantly.

As for the two transcendent rewards, Gaven had already experienced Soul Detection firsthand; it was because of this ability that things went awry with him, leading to the rapid development of their relationship.

Intangible Enchantment, then, is the most fitting Special Ability for Spring’s Erosion.

This combination indeed has an extraordinary effect for a lord.

As long as one does not commit evil, there is no need to worry about public opinion.

"Alright, shouldn’t we take a look at yours now?" Lord Virginia asked with a smile that was not quite a smile, turning the tables on Gaven.

Gaven immediately displayed his professional data.

Profession: Level 3 Psychic Sorcerer

Hit Points: 44 (Life Dice 1D10+2D4+15+15)

Attributes: Strength 14, Dexterity 17, Constitution 16, Intelligence 19, Perception 17, Charisma 18

Special Ability: Enlightenment (Special Ability) — Able to enlighten non-sapient flora and fauna for use once per day.

True Dragon Oak Flawless Teleportation (Special Ability) — Able to teleport back to the safe house of the True Dragon Oak Mother Tree for use once per day.

Demon Hunter (Special Ability) — Any Attack against demon-type creatures will have an additional damage bonus of 3D6 (3-18), especially for demon wolf creatures, the extra damage is taken at its maximum.

Fairy Step (Special Ability) — Granted by the Supreme Fairy Wilderness Pact, able to teleport five meters.

Soul Dragon Transformation (Special Ability) — All Attributes increase by one.

Energy Dragon Wings (Special Ability) — Upon activation, grants the ability to fly.

Life Empowerment (Special Ability) — Constitution increases by one point, Life Force increases by 15 points (gained upon opening the Dragon Oak Portal).

Overclocking (Special Ability) — An extraordinary reward for Intelligence, a powerful mind will react back upon the body, allowing one to enter a state that transcends Self, with all attributes increasing by two points. This value is an innate special bonus and does not conflict with Attribute Enhancement, lasting one minute per Intelligence Modifier (Inadequate Intelligence will not activate).

Displaying one’s professional panel to others can be selectively condensed, and Lord Virginia had not displayed her expertise, skills, or spells, etc. If all those were displayed, it would certainly cause a data overload.

The Attributes shown were also purely base Attributes.

Gaven mainly showcased his Special Abilities, but the echo of the Legendary Warrior was too exceptional and thus held back by him.

After looking at Gaven’s Attributes, the eyes of Lord Virginia clearly widened; had she known the term "show-off," she would have unhesitatingly assigned it to Gaven.

The two of them, whether in age or Professional Level, have a huge disparity.

However, the difference in Attributes is not that large.

If the Yaling Nobility bonus is excluded, she might be inferior in many aspects.

Through her own gains, it was easy to compare with what Gaven had achieved.

In fact, she already knew most of Gaven’s abilities, but when everything was listed out, it was visually striking.

"There’s one more thing that I think you should know, the Combat Armor is no longer the Combat Armor it used to be." Gaven activated the command, allowing the Combat Armor to cover his entire body.

The Combat Armor now looked vastly different.

Originally, the Combat Armor was standard full-body knight Armor for humans, silver with golden edges. Aside from its own dazzling brightness, it had a simple and unadorned air.

The present Combat Armor leaned towards Yaling style, with the silver plate armor embellished with numerous exquisite emerald green runes. Many of the edges had hollowed-out shapes, giving barely any sense of weight—about the same as cloth armor at most—and it had excellent breathability.

However, Gaven could feel that the defensive capability of the Combat Armor had not only remained the same but had actually become stronger.

Looking at the vastly changed Combat Armor, a trace of melancholy appeared on Lord Virginia’s face, but in the next second, she returned to normal, saying indifferently, "My memories have been altered, so why should I care about a piece of Armor? It’s just as well; it spares me discomfort in the future."

As she spoke, she directly placed her hand on the transformed Combat Armor, causing the green runes on it to suddenly light up.

After withdrawing her hand, Lord Virginia looked at Gaven, her expression serious, "May I take this Armor back?"

Gaven was taken aback and his mouth twitched as he said, "I don’t appreciate this kind of joke."

"I don’t have any intention to joke about this either," Lord Virginia revealed a sweet smile. "But this Armor is now so potent that even I am tempted. Are you really certain you’re not a bastard or the Chosen of the Lady of Smiles?"

"I am the Chosen of the Dragon Oak Mother Tree, not of the Goddess of Luck," Gaven replied impatiently. "What exactly are its attributes now?"

Seeing that Gaven was about to lose his patience, Lord Virginia finally said, "Whether in breastplate mode or full body Armor, it has a +5 Enhancement to defense, there is no longer any chance of arcane failure, and it is considered Yaling Armor, making it possible to use Fairy Step without hindrance. Damage Reduction has increased by 10 points, reaching 25/+1, and it also comes with a passive skill, Life Aura, which heals one point of Hit Points every round for everyone within ten meters of its radiance."

"Damn it!" exclaimed Gaven after hearing the attribute detail, unable to help swearing.

No wonder Lord Virginia had just been joking so earnestly—perhaps that wasn’t just a simple joke, but a genuine temptation.

The absence of arcane failure rate means it can be worn by all professions.

Twenty-five points of non-magical Damage Reduction would make any spellcasting profession covetous.

Not to mention, the greatest obstacle for Yalings to use it is also gone.

The Life Aura is a divine battlefield leadership ability, healing wherever one goes.

The Damage Reduction itself is already astonishingly high, adding to that an automatic healing.

In battles below Transcendent level, Gaven could walk sideways—provided he dodges magic and Magic Weapons.

This is undoubtedly another generous gift from the Dragon Oak Mother Tree.