Chapter 301 - Gnome

"Thank you for the compliment, master. Your recognition is my greatest honor," the Dog Demon’s mouth split slightly, revealing a smile. But on the face of an oversized wolf, it looked as unsettling as possible."You better not smile. Be more serious. You look a bit more pleasing to the eye that way. We’re engaged in diplomacy here," Gaven hurriedly shooed the Dog Demon away.

The retreating Dog Demon was filled with grievance and helplessness. It wasn’t his fault he was ugly, being born a devil wasn’t his choice, and the devil’s bad reputation wasn’t caused by him.

But there were too many laypeople in this world, fussing over beauty as justice, to no avail.

Gaven whispered to Virginia, "Have you figured it out yet? Exactly which fae race lives here?"

The moment they arrived at the grape arbor, not just Virginia, but Gaven too was one hundred percent certain that a fae race indeed existed there.

The Supreme Wilderness Fairy contract made him exceptionally sensitive to the aura of the fae race.

"Hard to say," Virginia’s gaze fixed on the wild wolves lying on the ground, "By aura alone, one can only determine whether this fae race is kind or evil. It’s very hard to figure out which kind of fae they are. However, judging by their living environment and the weapons they use, they should be an ultra-small or tiny fae race. Whether they are Pikespirits or Little Fairies, that’s tough to tell."

"If it’s hard to figure out, then don’t. Let’s just call out and make contact!" Gaven learned the hard way about the difficulties of dealing with unknown fae. Follow current novᴇls on NovᴇlFirᴇ.ɴet

Even with a Fairy Wilderness Lord radiating natural aura standing there, those fae still showed no intention of revealing themselves.

But Gaven could feel clearly that beneath that grape arbor, countless eyes were watching them, and it was even possible that they were aiming their tiny weapons at them.

"You might as well give it a try, after all, you’re the lord of this place," Virginia didn’t rush to take the lead.

"Fine." Gaven also knew such matters couldn’t overly rely on Virginia, as she might not always be by his side. Tentatively stepping forward, he called out loudly, "Friends of nature, we come with good intentions. Let me first introduce myself.

I am Gaven Nort, the new owner of this estate, this vineyard; of course, that term belongs to our human self-appointment and is surely not recognized by you.

So, I feel we should discuss this issue in depth to prevent unnecessary conflict."

Gaven’s words were like poking a hornet’s nest, and a high-pitched, angry voice came through, "This is our home, this is our territory. Get out of our home, our territory, or don’t blame us for declaring war on you."

Although the other party spoke up, they still didn’t show themselves, their distrust was quite apparent.

"Even if I admit this vineyard belongs to you, we still need to be neighbors in the future. With such close proximity, contact seems inevitable. There’s no need to create such a tense atmosphere. Let’s negotiate and reach a consensus that’s mutually beneficial; a win-win cooperation," Gaven didn’t directly challenge the other party on the issue of territorial ownership.

Different races have different recognized standards, especially between humans and the fae, which are worlds apart.

The two sides had quarreled over this for thousands of years without reaching any conclusions or results accepted by both.

Discussing this would only further intensify the conflict.

However, he overestimated the civility of this group of fae. Even though he lowered his stance, they still refused to show themselves, replying in a high voice, "We don’t need a win-win cooperation. You are not welcome here. Leave this place and never come back, or don’t blame our swords and daggers for being impolite."

Faced with such a tough attitude, Gaven was somewhat hesitant, unable to use force, and since the other party was unyielding and wouldn’t even show their face, let alone negotiate.

He could only turn his head and look towards Virginia for help, "Why don’t you give it a try?"

Virginia still didn’t hurry to make a move, but reminded him, "Don’t try to reason with them. Most of the fae are not rational creatures, but emotional ones. Use your aura to influence them."

"My aura to influence them?" Gaven was a bit puzzled, her statement seeming too mystical.

"The Dragon Oak War Giant Tree! Communicate with it, try that!" Virginia made the suggestion clear. Sometimes this little man of hers was frighteningly astute, sometimes frustratingly obtuse.

Right.

Gaven’s eyes brightened. How could he have forgotten about that?

He immersed his consciousness in the Sea of Consciousness, resonating with the phantom of the Dragon Oak Mother Tree.

Instantly, the Dragon Oak Mother Tree’s phantom swayed, and a vast power crossed the planes to come forth.

The grand figure of the Dragon Oak Mother Tree appeared behind Gaven as a faint projection. Accompanied by a dragon’s roar, almost imperceptible, a lush green luminescence rippled out from him.

Wherever the green light touched, all the flowers, grass, and trees couldn’t help but leap for joy, bowing in the direction of Gaven, as if greeting their king.

As the green light swept over the massive grapevine cover, several small figures with bows and arrows emerged from various hidden corners.

These were fae Gaven had never seen in the Spring Bud Forest.

These fae had human-like upper bodies, with a pair of long antennae like those of insects on their heads, but their lower bodies resembled that of crickets, with a pair of chitinous wings and thighs made for jumping.

They were over twice the height of the Pikespirits, at about half a meter tall, and if they extended their cricket hind legs, they would be even taller.

Their skin was a light blue; their hair, dark green; and their cricket legs were brown and hairy. Only their upper bodies wore vests of varied colors.

In their hands they held ultra-small bows and arrows, and ultra-small daggers were fixed to their waists. A few crickets even carried an ultra-small violin on their backs.

Suddenly exposed to the strangers’ gaze, they became very panicked, retreating while using grapevines to shield themselves, and attempting to activate their spell-like abilities to become invisible again.

However, the power of the Dragon Oak that clung to them had not completely dissipated, and they couldn’t enter invisibility. This discovery sent them into even more of a frenzy.

Several couldn’t help but shriek, "Devious Half-Elf, what exactly have you done to us? Cancel this spell at once, or don’t blame us for being rude."

This outcome hadn’t been expected by Gaven, but at least he saw people, although their attitude seemed to have worsened, it was still better than not seeing anyone at all before.

Gaven spoke with a threatening tone, "You should be able to feel that I am not using evil strength, but the power of nature. If you continue to be obstinate, you will be opposing nature, and I will represent nature to strip you of your ability to use your spell-like abilities."

Fear, when wielded well, is also a very sharp weapon.

The leading member of the Fae Race once again shrieked, "We can sit down and talk slowly, there’s no need to make things so tense. Hurry up and remove the spell."

"The spell can be removed, but you are not allowed to enter an invisible state again," Gaven took the opportunity to make his demand.

"Alright," the Fae Race member quickly agreed.

"Feel it carefully, this power only benefits you and does not harm you. If you accept it, you will no longer be restricted by it," Gaven spoke vaguely, his main goal still being to stall for time.

It was just a minor and insignificant trembling power that the Dragon Oak Mother Tree had released in response to his call, which definitely would not last long.

As time passed, it would naturally dissipate.

While negotiating with the Fae Race, Gaven exchanged information with Lord Virginia through their minds, "What kind of Fae Race is this? How come I’ve never seen them on the Spring Bud Forest side?"

"These are Pikespirits; they prefer high grass near rivers to forests," Lord Virginia explained. "This kind of Fae Race is scarce not only in Spring Bud Forest but throughout the entire Fairy Wilderness. The area lacks the large rivers they fancy. They are the most aggressive and mischievous of all the Fae Race."

Lord Virginia paused, unable to resist commenting, "Just now, you could have resonated with them by invoking the strength of the Dragon Oak Mother Tree, allowing them to feel the natural power of the mother tree. Their attitude towards you would have naturally softened. Why did you have to use this threatening approach? Aren’t you afraid that your clever plan could backfire and completely enrage them?"

Gaven replied somewhat innocently, "It wasn’t me, it was the Dragon Oak Mother Tree that reacted in that manner directly. It might have something to do with personality or abilities. I may not be able to learn your way. Overall, the results are not bad. Old rules, I’ll play the villain, and you play the good guy."

"What do you mean by ’play the good guy’? I am a good guy," Virginia retorted.

It was unclear if Gaven’s method was effective or if the time he bought was enough, but the Pikespirits gradually disappeared and re-entered invisibility.

These Pikespirits were true to their word, as some soon reappeared from their invisible state. The leading Pikespirit spoke with a nasty tone, "What exactly do you want to do? This place is our home, and you won’t drive us out of here."

Despite their still very assertive attitude, there was a hint of fear in their eyes and expressions when they looked at Gaven.

They had clearly felt that the power used by the other party was indeed pure natural power and life force, depriving them of their ability to use their spell-like abilities.

Especially after catching a brief glimpse of the Dragon Oak Mother Tree, the terrifying pressure it emitted made their souls uncontrollably tremble.

Perhaps only the True Gods held such strength.

Could it be that the Dragon Oak Mother Tree is a Natural Deity or a God Incarnation?

If that was a God Incarnation, wouldn’t that make the man in front of them a messenger of the gods?

Did he really have the power to deprive them of their spell-like abilities?

"Who said we’re going to drive you out?" Gaven quickly refuted, "No one wants to drive you out. If you wish, you can reside here generation after generation. Our purpose for coming here is to negotiate with you, to define our territories clearly, to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings and conflicts in the future."

The same words, after demonstrating overwhelming military strength, carried a completely different weight.

The expressions of the few Pikespirits improved significantly.

The leading Pikespirit said, "If that’s the case, then please leave the vineyards. All the vineyards are ours. As long as you don’t enter the vineyards, whatever you do outside is none of our concern. If your people enter the vineyards, we can regard it as an invasion!"

"That’s impossible." Gaven’s face immediately fell. "I am discussing with you in good faith on behalf of Lord Virginia. Don’t think I don’t have a limit. Do you think I don’t have the power to drive you out?"

With the rise in his voice, the informed Dog Demon folded back, standing not far behind Gaven and howled towards the sky.

The next second, howls rose and fell from all around, no fewer than forty or fifty.

The Pikespirit leader’s expression showed a hint of disdain, "Do you think with a pack of wild wolves, you can drive us out of here?"

"What if they join in?" Gaven snorted coldly.

Along with a rustling sound, three enormous figures emerged from behind, their infant carriers flung wide open. Like swarms of bees, Carrier Bug Larvae spilled out, forming three clusters, swirling around the Dragonized Aircraft Carrier Insect.

At this point, the Pikespirit leader’s expression finally changed.

For them, the biggest threat was not the Dragonized Aircraft Carrier Insect but the three clusters of larvae.

If they engaged in chaotic combat, their invisibility would be greatly diminished, and the Entangle Spell couldn’t hold the other side.

If things were handled poorly, there might be heavy casualties, to say nothing of the mother insect and the pack of wolves waiting hungrily behind.