Looking back, it was probably from that day onward that Sean truly began to believe in those ambiguous words spoken by fortune-tellers.
It was also from that day that Sean understood: once the Eye of Ghroth opened, people within hundreds of miles would inevitably fall into a kind of madness. If they were asleep, that madness would seep into their dreams, trapping the time within them under its gaze.
At the same time, those beings deemed indescribable would stir restlessly under that very gaze!
…
Of course, at this moment, Sean had no idea what kind of impact it would bring. He was merely relieved that he carried the mark of an ancient god on him; otherwise, he had no clue how to deal with such an unprovoked mental damage spell.
Sean stepped forward…
The guards behind him had already collapsed under the mental assault of the Eye of Ghroth.
Perfect. Now he had time to have a word with the wood elf before him.
He walked forward, stepping on the tentacles. To him now, these tentacles felt strangely familiar. If not for them, he wouldn’t know how to handle danger in many situations.
“Wood elf?” he said, looking at the face on the tree bark.
“Human, you’ve touched a power that doesn’t belong to this world. It’s dangerous. You’d better get rid of it, or one day it will consume you…” The voice came from the bark face, its tone neutral.
Probably because trees have no gender, it was a voice that couldn’t exist among humans.
“This power is dangerous? Is your power righteous, then?”
Sean knew the power of the Eye of Ghroth was troublesome—sometimes he didn’t even dare to bring it out—but it was precisely this immense power that had saved him twice.
“No power is righteous. Not you, not me!”
As his foot stepped onto the fleshy mass of tentacles extending from the void, it parted from the center, clearing a path for him toward the wood elf.
It couldn’t move. Most of its branches were entangled by tentacles, and under Ghroth’s gaze, it couldn’t make any significant moves either…
So it really was a creature made of trees. If it hadn’t shown itself, he probably would never have found it.
The forest was vast, and its form was identical to millions of other trees!
“Your existence is unique. I’ve never seen a creature like you. What are you? A species born from nature?” Sean asked.
“The wood elf is ancient, existing long before humans.”
“Oh? So you’re ancient too? But this town only started having people confused and trapped in dreams about fifty years ago.” Sean wouldn’t have come looking for it without some preparation.
Frankly, his main reason was its unknown nature, especially after hearing the term “wood elf.”
Back in Koga City, Ignia had shown him those classical books from Aishu. They described many unsolved mysteries and peculiar races, but wood elves were never mentioned.
Sean did know of one type of elf—those with long ears, beautiful faces, and great figures—but that was from human imagination in his past life. He dared not overestimate what elves in this world were like, given that even the so-called ancient gods had turned out as grotesque as they were.
“They did it willingly… Even a wood elf needs to survive. I’ve been nourished by their dreams, and they enjoy living in the dream world,” the wood elf said.
“For over fifty years, the residents of this town have nurtured me through their dreams, allowing me to sustain their dream lives longer. It’s merely a mutual dependency. I’ve never harmed anyone; in fact, I’ve always helped them. You have no reason to trouble me over this… And I’ve deliberately avoided you all.”
“So you knew we were coming for you?!”
“I knew from the moment you entered the town.”
“Through the trees?”
It was a wood elf, so the only way it could communicate was through trees.
And earlier, when he thought of the Kain Stone in the illusion, it immediately knew—clearly, it was connected to the entire forest and even people’s dreams.
“You’ve been searching for me since the first day you entered the town, even in your dreams, constantly asking about me.”
“So you really do know what everyone experiences in their dreams…”
After a few exchanges, its emotions seemed to settle. Perhaps because the wood elf was such a unique being, Sean saw nothing on its face but that single expression—no health or mana values displayed. Only an emotional indicator at the top of the tree, now showing calm.
“But even knowing that, they still enjoy their dream lives,” the wood elf insisted, as if emphasizing its innocence.
“True. The people of Shanggu Town love their current lives. As long as you don’t harm them, I reckon this could go on for a long time…” Sean waved his hand. The massive sphere above the forest slowly vanished, and with it, the tentacles stretching from the void throughout the woods.
“You’re not going to kill me?”
“Why would I kill you?”
He looked at the face beneath the bark.
“If you say the townspeople enjoy the dream world you’ve given them, then killing you would just make them resent me, wouldn’t it? No one wants to be the enemy of so many people.”
“Then why did you come to the forest?” The face on the bark seemed puzzled.
“To be precise, I’m more interested in your existence.”
Sean glanced back at Aslan and the others, still unconscious. Those under the Eye of Ghroth’s gaze wouldn’t recover quickly—last time, he’d crawled around his room for an entire night before waking up.
“In me?”
The tone beneath the bark began to shift.
Perhaps because the tentacles had vanished, it started to separate from the tree. Specifically, the bark bulged, and the surrounding branches and vines coiled around the swelling mass, with leaves converging as well.
Wood formed a torso, vines became arms, and leaves grew into hair.
A feminine figure and curves emerged, and the voice’s tone grew more feminine too… As for the face, it was like a carved wooden visage—humanoid, but lacking a sense of realism.
“So, what do you wish to ask me, Count… no, Count Weigel?” the wood elf asked.
“It seems you know everything.”
“I know everything that happens in this town!”
Once it had taken humanoid form, Sean’s vision finally displayed a stat—affinity…
“What should I call you?”
“Wood elf… it doesn’t matter. If you like, you can call me Caitlyn. That was the name of the human child who planted me. At least, I like it.”