Chapter 465 - 403

After listening to the introduction about him, Gaven became deeply respectful. To him, every life was extraordinary, even that of an ancient tree that hadn’t undergone enlightenment, let alone a treant. There must be countless legendary stories associated with it. He spoke reverently, "It’s an honor to meet you, Elder Treebow.""I’m no elder, I’m just older, having experienced a few more years of rain and dew. You can simply call me Treebow." Treebow swayed his V-shaped trunk slightly and said, "Young friend Gaven, my apologies for the rude welcome earlier. Please accept this little trinket I made myself as a token of my compensation."

The object Elder Treebow handed over was a wooden carving, a miniature replica of Elder Treebow drawing his bow and shooting an arrow.

The magic aura emanating from it indicated that it was not just an ordinary statue; it was a magic item.

Gaven declined, "Ignorance is not a sin, Elder Treebow. You were not aware of Miss Luna’s special circumstances. On the contrary, it was we who were too rash. Thankfully, no one was hurt. Let’s put this matter to rest, and there’s no need for gifts."

However, Elder Treebow insisted, "If young friend Gaven does not accept it, we will feel uneasy. If we need help in the future, how can we turn to you? Moreover, this item is just a trifle I made in my spare time, infused with a bit of my personal strength. Once placed, it can summon a phantom avatar of me. It contains only three shots of arrow attack strength, and once expended, it’ll become an ordinary item."

After the explanation, Gaven’s eyes couldn’t help but light up.

They had just experienced the power of the opponent’s stone scatter shot firsthand.

It’s only because of their special abilities and equipment that they survived; an ordinary person would have certainly been overwhelmed.

In certain situations, its power could even surpass that of the Fireball Technique.

On the battlefield, causing large-scale damage could be more troublesome than killing.

"Since the Elder puts it that way, it would be rude for me to continue refusing. Very well, we shall visit frequently. If there is anything you need from us, just let us know. Lord Ian, you have a way to communicate with me quickly," Gaven finally chose to accept the Treebow carving, considering it a friendly gesture of introduction.

"I know." Treebow’s normally stiff wooden face couldn’t help but crack a smile. "We’ve spent most of our time recently in the Dragon Oak Dream Realm. We’ve been wanting to meet you, the creator, but haven’t had the chance. Young friend Gaven, you’ve opened up a whole new world for us. The Dragon Oak Dream Realm is one example, and the Enlightenment another. Now you’ve brought us Miss Luna, a unique being who can reverse the Corruption Power... Apologies, I’ve strayed off-topic. Let’s continue with the introductions: this is Zhao Huai, this one Duo Xu, here is Hu Xiang, and this is Duo Bi."

It’s well known that no two leaves are identical, and the same goes for treants.

These five treants each had their distinctive characteristics, and their names were the most significant reflection of those.

Zhao Huai, enlightened from a locust tree, had a pair of beast-like claws much larger than its own body, resembling not merely a wooden structure but looking more like a special type of metal, similar to that of the Crown Shield, likely possessing extraordinary offensive capabilities.

Duo Xu resembled a typical treant the most, with a classic treant body structure and branches that floated up around the face like a human’s beard, giving off an air of wisdom. He was also very reticent and not one for idle chatter.

Hu Xiang, true to its name, was similar to a Comanso Tiger carved from wood. According to Treebow, it did not naturally develop this appearance; rather, a pride of Comanso Tigers often used the cave beneath its roots as a burial site, absorbing numerous tiger spirits, which eventually transformed it.

Duo Bi’s name was self-explanatory; it was a treant with four arms.

Everything has a cause and effect, and this applied to treants as well.

Although they were transformed from trees, it was not like they could whimsically shape limbs and appendages however they wished.

Thornspike’s bottom half resembled that of a Giant Dragon, with four legs, due to the influence of the Dragon Oak Mother Tree.

Hu Xiang displayed a tiger-like state because it absorbed the souls of tigers.

Duo Bi developed extra arms as it was originally a twin tree; the trees had grown together while young, leaving behind only an extra set of arms.

Treebow was clearly the leader among these five treants. Most of the time, it was he who spoke. Respect for him as an elder was one reason, but more than that, most treants simply preferred not to speak excessively; they enjoyed quiet contemplation more.

Most druids, and especially treants, were easy-going by nature.

Even establishing a Druid Circle was casual for them. There were no oaths or agreements, not even impassioned speeches.

When they chose to leave their rooted lands and travel hundreds of kilometers to meet you, to discuss ideas and philosophies with you, it signified their willingness to join the group and share their thoughts.

The Druid Circle was thus considered established.

Treebow expressed a sentiment shared by all five treants, "We strongly agree with young friend Gaven’s statement that legendary stories have shaped treants, for we feel it deeply. Before our own stories, we were but one of the many trees in the Comanso Great Forest."

"Rather than saying that legendary stories shape treants, it’s more accurate to say that treants are the continuation of legendary stories," Gaven couldn’t help but sigh. "It’s just that compared to animals, you plants are inherently at a disadvantage in this regard, because you lack initiative. You can’t actively create legendary stories to awaken yourselves as treants; you can only wait passively."

Treebow wasn’t too sentimental about this, responding calmly, "This is also the way of natural balance. If every tree could easily become enlightened, this world would probably no longer belong to other intelligent beings, including the Giant Dragon and the Giant. It would’ve already been the realm of treants."

Gaven realized that was indeed the case.

In the Comanso Great Forest, with its countless towering trees, even if only one-tenth became treants or enlightened trees, it would be a disaster.

Treebow continued, "Moreover, we would like to request that young friend Gaven perform an enlightenment in our presence, not on a tree, but on a treant."

Gaven looked troubled, "Since you’re already aware of the core concepts of the Enlightenment, you should know that the key isn’t with me, but with the Enlightened Tree itself. I don’t have a suitable subject for enlightenment at the moment. How about this? Once I find a suitable one..."

"About that, we have already prepared one for our young friend," Elder Treebow pointed at a tree in the distance.

If Elder Treebow hadn’t said anything, Gaven wouldn’t have even considered it a tree.

Because not only was the tree broken in the middle, but its trunk was also charred black, clearly having been burnt by a great fire. The main stem was hollow inside, with a huge gash. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ɴovel(ꜰ)ɪre.nᴇt

What exactly had this tree been through?

"As miraculous as the Enlightenment spell is, the premise is that the subject of enlightenment itself is alive. If it’s... huh, it’s actually not dead? It’s practically a miracle. If I’m not mistaken, this is a Lightning Oak, which has been struck by lightning and then burnt by intense fire!" As Gaven spoke, he had already approached the tree, clearly feeling the remnants of lightning and fire within it.

"You’re correct." Elder Treebow confirmed Gaven’s guess, "This child has indeed been struck by lightning, and not just once. To my knowledge, this is the third time. Each time, it has resiliently survived only to face new calamities. Surviving a single lightning strike is legendary enough, but having survived three times, it should meet the young friend’s requirements."

"Its legendary status is met, but what I’m most afraid of is that through repeated lightning strikes, its initial consciousness has been damaged. The Five-Willow I enlightened here in the past were just like this; they ultimately succeeded in enlightenment by piecing together five fragmented initial consciousnesses." Gaven voiced his concerns.

Though the Lightning Oak was still alive, its life force was extremely weak.

"Whether it can succeed or not is its fate, but we will not stand by idly. If necessary, we will share part of our strength and consciousness with this child to lend it a helping hand," Elder Treebow and the others remained their usual composed selves.

Not only did they have a detached view of success or failure, but they also viewed life and death with the same indifference.

To them, this was all part of the natural cycle.

They belonged to the group of Treants with a greater part of humanity in them.

In contrast, those Treants with more tree-like qualities would not even come here, nor would they care about the fate of the Lightning Oak. Just like a tree, they would coldly observe everything around them, unmoved by the deaths of numerous creatures before their eyes.

"In that case, let’s also have Miss Luna lend a helping hand. Try to cast the Natural Blessing upon it," Gaven wouldn’t miss such a rare opportunity for experimentation.

"Alright." Luna obeyed and, with concentrated intent, a great surge of natural power emanated from her, flowing towards the Lightning Oak.

This situation lasted only a few seconds before Luna stopped and reported, "It won’t work. It’s too weak. It can’t quickly absorb the natural power."

"Then cast it directly into the soil at your feet. Wait a moment, and act accordingly. If, during the enlightenment process, it starts to absorb the natural power rapidly, continue to pour it in," Gaven shifted his strategy, drawing on past experience that the enlightenment process would be its transformation.

It would be capable of accepting the infusion of life force from outside and possibly receive blessings from nature.

The Dragon Oak Mother Tree had played a key role more than once.

Now with Luna’s converted natural power at hand, it was naturally preferred over using the Dragon Oak Mother Tree’s energy.

"Understood," Luna responded.

Gaven didn’t pay attention to the Treants whose expressions couldn’t hide their curiosity. He simply sat down next to the Lightning Oak and began the day’s enlightenment. Timing was perfect; the process would end just as the next day arrived.

As soon as he made contact with the initial consciousness of the Lightning Oak, Gaven realized he had been gravely mistaken.

Sometimes, the soul isn’t directly linked to physical strength or weakness.

Many mages possess mighty souls yet have exceedingly frail bodies.

Some barbarians have incredibly robust physiques while their soul consciousness is so weak it’s negligible.

The Lightning Oak was clearly the former case; the repeated lightning did not shatter its initial consciousness but made it unprecedentedly strong.

Gaven was merely going with the flow now, and even without his enlightenment, just waiting another three or five years would be enough for the Lightning Oak to recover from the ordeal and awaken as a Treant.

This was the first time Gaven had encountered an initial consciousness that had devoured all of his enlightenment package and still wanted more.

With a thought, Gaven directly stuffed the spell knowledge he had packaged from Lord Virginia into the initial consciousness of the Lightning Oak.

Considering its experiences, the Special Ability it would develop was likely related to lightning, definitely leaning towards the mage profession. A Treant mage was certainly a rare existence.

Elder Treebow was wrong; the Lightning Oak wasn’t struck three times, but four. It’s just that one of the strikes was less powerful, merely breaking off one of its side branches.

A Lightning Oak being struck by lightning isn’t a coincidence, but rather an inevitability.