The opening of the cradle was a historic event that would stir the entire continent.
Probably every country would like to somehow secure a share of the natural resources coming out of the cradle somehow.
However, unlike the cradles that had been historically open, this time there was a definite owner of the cradle.
The owners were, of course, the elves.
As long as there was an owner, no empire or kingdom could recklessly set foot there.
Of course, if the elves tried to completely block human access, the humans might start a war against the elves.
One might argue that there was no justification in such act, but for humans, justification was not that necessary in the face of enormous interests.
Therefore, Shane needed to ensure that humans couldn’t act recklessly.
It was important to prevent their greed from evolving into selfishness.
It was crucial to avoid causing divisions among humans because of this.
In the face of profit, humans would be ready to stab each other in the back as if it were nothing, but conversely, they were rational beings who could join hands even with their archenemies in the face of gain.
It was necessary to control this balance well.
In this regard, Shane had to discuss future plans with Priscilla for several days.
“Phew, alright. We’ve sorted out most of the problems, right?”
“Indeed.”
“It’s true; I’ve done far too much which is unlike me. The children need to wake up soon so I can relax.”
Despite Priscilla’s complaints, Shane continued speaking without concern.
“When the time comes, I will come to collect that item.”
“I’ll have it ready. But you must understand that this is assuming that everything proceeds smoothly in the future.”
The opening of the Great Mezaiya Forest was not only beneficial to Shane.
The elves were also able to prepare in advance for the many challenges that would arise with the opening of the cradle.
Additionally, once human attention was focused here, the organization would not be able to proceed with its operations as easily as before.
Because of this, Priscilla promised Shane a treasure that lay deep within the Great Mezaiya Forest.
It was a treasure that would never be revealed to the world again; it is now the only one of its kind.
The Dragon’s Reverse Scale.
An item infused with the essence of a being that once stood at the pinnacle of all races, and in the future, it would be the most important item for Shane to oppose the organization.
“Although the Dragon Heart has returned to normal, this is not the time to be complacent. There is still work to be done.”
Priscilla immediately nodded her head at Shane’s words.
There were two primary tasks when it came to opening the Great Mezaiya Forest.
Resolving the magical power instability and awakening the elves who had entered a state of sleep.
“Well, that’s right. Unless this problem is resolved in the first place, it will cause a major setback to the plans you were talking about. However, it’s not something I can fix myself. It seems there’s a problem with the World Tree.”
“We should head there immediately.”
“Well… it’s unheard of to take another race member to the base of the World Tree…”
Priscilla looked at Shane as she spoke.
“I know how much your power increases in that place. There’s no need for me to take another oath.”
“Oh my, you know even that? There’s truly nothing you don’t know.”
“I only know what I need to.”
Soon, the two headed toward the center of the World Tree.
However, they couldn’t just walk there; they had to use the magic circle installed in the Queen’s room.
And so they arrived before the World Tree.
The sight of the enormous tree stretching toward the sky was as grand and solemn as people imagined.
This huge tree that people couldn’t see from the outside stood straight and tall and it was unaffected by any external environment.
In addition, the inside of the World Tree was literally a cradle, so many elves were in a deep sleep enclosed within the fruits formed inside the tree.
Even that was a sight beyond human imagination, but there was something even more extraordinary.
Something lay with its eyes closed beneath the World Tree.
“One for all. It must be the Green Dragon.”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
At the base of the huge World Tree, a Green Dragon lay with its eyes closed as if it were in a deep sleep.
The name of the green dragon meant “one for all” in ancient language, and just like its name, it became the giant vegetation known as the World Tree.
It would remain in this slumber for ages and wouldn’t awaken for humans or elves.
But there was one time when it would wake up.
After thousands of years of nurturing the forest, the Green Dragon would end its slumber, lay its egg, and transfer all its accumulated magical power to its offspring before taking its final breath.
This moment coincided with the elves entering their dormant phase.
It was necessary for them to resonate with the new generation of dragons and their magic.
And with that, the dead dragon would return to the nature it had cultivated, and when the new generation of Green Dragon awakened, the elves’ sleep would simultaneously come to an end.
However, due to the long-standing Great Seal of Akasha, the hatchling was not allowed to “grow” and it could not absorb the magical power. So the magical power was trying to return to nature.
“What should we do about this?”
The Green Dragon was the most important being to the elves; it was essentially the same as the origin of the elves.
The biggest problem was that the elves, who were deeply connected with the hatchling, could not wake up.
There was no concept of time during this phase, so unless the hatchling woke up first, the elves wouldn’t realize what was happening and would remain asleep forever.
Priscilla’s worry was understandable.
As the queen, Priscilla could not enter the dormant phase and she had no authority to interfere with their mental world.
“It’s not that difficult.”
“Really?”
“But I need your essence.”
“Oh my!”
Priscilla’s face turned as red as a ripe peach, and she squirmed.
“Isn’t that a bit too direct?”
“…Don’t take it the wrong way.”
“Heh, I was just kidding.”
Then, as if her face had never reddened, Priscilla naturally smiled and asked.
“Can you tell me why you need the essence?”
“I am going to interfere with their mind road from now on.”
“Hmm, that’s quite a risky act.”
Mind Road referred to the virtual space where the minds of the Green Dragon’s hatchling and the elves were gathered.
Shane planned to infuse his mind into that space to wake the elves but this was no easy task.
Even though it was only a hatchling, it was almost impossible to stay sane inside the current of thousands of minds from the great dragon and the elves whose average lifespan was hundreds of years.
Even Priscilla could find it dangerous if she didn’t prepare for a long time.
However, Shane was different.
Though it wouldn’t be easy, when he was trapped within his own mind due to corruption, that space without the concept of time made one minute feel like ten years, and sometimes a hundred years seemed to pass in an instant.
In order to maintain himself in such a place, Shane rewound his memories thousands, tens of thousands, and millions of times.
So, even if he entered that space, he had no fear of losing himself.
However, while he could protect himself, invading a place intertwined with numerous minds would likely result in being perceived as an enemy.
To avoid that, he needed the essence of Priscilla. The elf queen that was most familiar to them.
“Hmm, in that case, fine. I’ll share my essence with you.”
After listening to the explanation, Priscilla placed her hands on Shane’s shoulders and slowly brought her face closer.
It was a scent of grass, perhaps.
Being at the heart of the World Tree, the air was already filled with a refreshing grassy scent, but the fragrance from Priscilla was different.
Their noses touched, and just before their lips met, a faint green aura began to flow from Priscilla’s lips into Shane’s mouth.
How much time has passed like that?
When Priscilla slowly pulled her face back, Shane felt a surge of natural energy filling his inner self.
We’re not compatible with each other.
While his body itself accepted this energy and was delighted with the tremendous vitality, on the contrary, Shane’s origin showed a strong aversion to it.
It’s repulsed.
Although darkness was also a part of nature, its energy was fundamentally different.
The darkness within Shane couldn’t be compatible with the energy of life.
“Mmm. You really don’t show any change in your expression. Such a stoic person.”
“That’s probably the best attitude when dealing with them.”
“That’s true.”
Anyway, with this, the preparations were complete.
Shane approached the egg nestled in the Green Dragon’s embrace, where the elf’s spirits were gathered.
“Wow…”
“… We will probably never see something like this again”
“Yeah.”
A few days later.
The expedition team reached the top of the World Tree with Priscilla’s permission.
Interestingly enough, the phenomenon of magical instability that caused the unpredictable climate did not occur around the World Tree.
A dreamlike feeling as if they were the only ones left in the midst of a dying world filled the hearts of the expedition team.
And the changes began quickly.
Sunlight started to filter through the always cloudy Great Mezaiya Forest.
Magical power filled with the scent of grass flowed from all the trees in the forest, soothing the chaotic magical power in the surrounding area.
Surprisingly, the chaotic magical power began to calm down and was slowly absorbed by the trees, creating a scene like giant silk curtains waving in the forest.
“Ah…”
“It’s beautiful.”
The sky that was once filled with dark clouds began to clear along the curtains, and warm sunlight started to restore life to the entire forest.
[Aah─♫ Aaah─♪]
From below, countless voices harmonized together and tickled the ears of the expedition team.
Thousands of elves who were awakened from a long sleep were singing lullabies to soothe the chaotic magical power of the great forest.
Yet the harmony of the elves did not only soothe the magic.
“Sniff…”
“…That, stupid guy.”
“Why did you leave first… Warren?”
“I wish you could see this scenery with us.”
A requiem for the comrades they had lost along the way.
As they remembered their friends who were no longer there, the expedition team members shed heavy tears.
Then, as if the wind came to gently wipe away those tears, it brushed past them.
Surely, this sadness would not last long.
By tomorrow, they would return to their usual selves as if nothing had happened. They would be thinking more of the bright future than their fallen comrades.
It might seem cold.
But now as ever.
Death was always close for humans who took up weapons and stepped onto the front lines, and sorrow was like shackles connecting people to death.
Shaking off sorrow became a means of survival.
Instead of dwelling on the moments when their comrades died or their empty places, they cast off bad memories by reflecting more on the memories they shared with the deceased.
So, isn’t it truly fortunate?
The memories of their comrades brought back alongside this beautiful scenery would naturally be remembered as beautiful forever.
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