An hour and a half passed, and when the time arrived at ten o’clock, a group of five people gathered at the border of the basin.
Considering that there was no need to fight with the ents and would be visiting to have a simple communication with them, Su Mo brought along open-minded and lively villagers.
“Sun Di, do you remember what to say to them when we meet later?”
Su Mo hid within the advancing group, and as soon as he saw several ents waiting in the distance, he pulled the brim of his hat and whispered.
“Don’t worry, shelter lord. There won’t be a problem!”
Sun Di was the executive who performed reasonably well for the Freedom City interviews before.
Su Mo chose him as the diplomatic group captain because he was a steady person, good at talking nonsense, and had good communication skills.
Meanwhile, Su Mo decided to take on the role of an assistant, responsible for supplementary communication.
After a while, the two parties finally met at the border. Su Mo raised his head to see the ents on the other side and was overjoyed.
The ent that was delegated to pick them up was none other than the elder of the ents who had visited them before…
It was Zhu Chuan!
“Oh, the people from the heavenly court sure are enthusiastic. You didn’t have to bring gifts!
“It makes us feel bad!”
At first, Zhu Chuan was slightly disappointed and wore a condescending look when he saw that the most powerful human of the Heavenly Court had not come together and it was instead the “scavenger” who had led the way for him before.
When he saw the “heavenly fruit” that Sun Di was carrying, his old wooden face instantly crumpled up and bloomed like a daisy.
“It’s nothing! You’ve been so kind to us. This is just our courtesy!”
Sun Di stepped forward and stretched out his hand kindly, and the two exchanged a very cordial handshake.
“Elder Zhu Chuan, I’m really sorry. Our territory is in a development stage, and because of the tension between the Demon clan and Light Empire…” Sun Di said after they shook hands.
“There are a few things that are going on, so we scavengers have also joined the Heavenly Court for the time being!”
“I’m Sun Di, the captain of the team today. We’re sincerely thankful for having us!”
Whoa!
Zhu Chuan listened attentively, but when he heard the meaning behind Sun Di’s words, he was shocked but quickly pretended like it was nothing.
According to the information intercepted by a few ent spies, there was indeed a large-scale war in the Demon clan recently.
You should see the fiery red flashing across the skies even from hundreds of miles away. The war was evidently very “intense” this time.
However, they were unaware of the reason for the war and which parties were involved in the battle.
The ents had no definite news and could only guess the possibilities to this day.
But now…
‘Could it be that the participants in this war were the Demon Clan, Light Empire, and Heavenly Court?
‘Good gracious! What were their intentions in turning it into a serious war? This is big news!’
Zhu Chuan thought to himself, but at the same time quickly accepted the heavenly fruits and threw it into his mouth to taste.
He experienced the same feeling the last time. There was a tremble in his core, and when he regained control of his body, his strength had really increased by 5% again!
“Elder Zhu Chuan, should we begin our journey?”
Zhu Chuan gained some benefits, and although he had the intention to make some excuse to enter the Heavenly Court like he did last time…
When he thought about the terrifying battle that took place, he did not dare to go against their wishes and quickly diminished all the thoughts in his heart.
Then, the two ents who were traveling together crouched down and held up the remaining four members that were to visit the ent territory.
Su Mo remained silent throughout the whole conversation and did not even raise his head, but the journey toward the ent territory went relatively smoothly.
Bang!
Bang!
The ent men were tall and cumbersome, seemingly weighing about thousands of kilograms that would be hard to oppose.
However, they walked exceptionally lightly, and every time they jumped and landed, their vine feet would make a faint sound collision.
Su Mo turned around and could see the traces of them traveling left on the ground.
After seeing the Demon clan and cyborgs of the Light Empire, Su Mo had a particular understanding and judgment of the ents’ strength.
He observed for a while and came to a conclusion.
‘Not bad. They are able to control their bodies really well, and these ents were at least… Level 5!’
A Level 6, Elder Zhu Chuan, and two Level 5 ents were sent to greet them.
It was not the best treatment, but it could be regarded that they held the basin quite highly.
After judging that the current risks were low, Su Mo calmed down and began to observe the situation in the ents’ territory.
It was different from the Demon clan’s barren plains, which no one exploited.
The ents’ territory was filled with a breath of fresh air mixed with the subtle fragrance of grass as soon as you entered.
The first 30 kilometers into the territory were ordinary but after they traveled more than 30 kilometers, the ground was filled with thick vines and grass that was as high as half a leg, which showed the extremely fertile nature of the ground.
‘Good gracious! The ents have surely invested a lot. The ground is full of black soil that is highly fertile!
‘I guess that’s reasonable. They don’t need to grow vegetables and food. They only have to take root in the ground to absorb the nutrients from the soil and meet certain needs of some specific plants.’
The black soil which was rare in other places was almost everywhere in the ents’ territory.
From the initial shock to the later realization, Su Mo had some conjectures about this fertile land.
The ancient ents must have had certain means to affect the quality of the land.
The most evident proof was that the soil fertility was extremely identical as if carved from the same mold.
Moreover, relying on his strong memory, Su Mo noticed that there would be several repeated plants rooted in the ground every one to two kilometers, which was very obvious!
These plants were generally about four meters in height.
It had broad leaves and sturdy rhizomes. Their blue flowers bloomed proudly toward the sky, even in the cold weather.
Due to his current identity, Su Mo could not easily speak, but he silently pointed at the big flower, and Sun Di immediately understood his intentions, quickly bringing it up when they passed by again.
“Elder Zhu Chuan, that’s a very rare flower. It’s blooming so beautifully during the winter. What kind of species does it belong to?
“Our shelter leader is highly interested in flowers and plants. He’d be thrilled if he were to see this!”
Zhu Chuan was taken aback after hearing Sun Di’s nonsense.
He did not look too deep into whether Su Mo was interested in flowers and plants but simply answered the question.
“You mean these flowers? The ents specially cultivate these flowers to improve soil fertility, like the one you see right now. Iff it’s blooming, then it’s working, if it doesn’t bloom, it’s still at a growing stage.
“We could give you some seeds to grow if Lord Su Mo has a liking of flowers, but these flowers are rather special…”
“Does it take a long time to grow?” asked Sun Di.
Zhu Chuan nodded. “Yes, the sowing time of the land flower is rather long. The plant will take six months to germinate and they take about three years to grow to about three meters before their special abilities take effect to improve the nearby lands.”
“That’s not the only special thing about it. It’s unique because, during the growth process, it won’t be able to feedback fertility to the land but will absorb it, like the plant you see right now. After you’ve cultivated it, you’ll have to waste a piece of land and constantly apply fertilizer to keep it growing.
“The reason why we have this many of them is that we brought them to this place from our previous territory. It would take forever if we were to grow them ourselves right now.
“We received a lot of heavenly fruits, so in exchange, I can go to the patriarch since Lord Su Mo likes it…”
Su Mo nodded lightly after hearing and seeing Zhu Chuan’s generosity. Then, he calmly held his hand behind his back and shook it lightly.
Sun Di understood in seconds and quickly replied.
“No, it’s fine, Elder Zhu Chuan. You don’t have to bother. Our shelter lord likes to grow his own flowers slowly, and if you sent him a finished product, he won’t be able to appreciate the process of creating something from nothing!”
“Alright. Lord Su Mo sure is an elegant person, not comparable to ordinary human beings,” Zhu Chuan answered.
“How about this? This seed is not considered a precious item of the ents. When you return after the visit, I’ll get you some other varieties so you can help me bring them to Lord Su Mo. Tell him that it’s the sincerity of Zhu Chuan. You what I mean~”
“Of course, of course! Rest assured, Elder Zhu Chuan. I’ll definitely send your message to him!”
Compared to when he got robbed and was only left with his underwear, this time, the people from the basin were both humble and sensible.
Hearing Sun Di’s satisfying answer, Zhu Chuan shook his branches excitedly, exuding a sense of happiness all over his body.
Su Mo, who heard Zhu Chuan’s promise, did not make any more requests when he encountered other unique plants on the way.
After all, according to what Zhu Chuan said, if these seeds were not precious in the ent’s territory, they could be obtained through other means.
There was no need to risk exposing himself by asking for too much.
There was no delay, and they traveled much faster for the remaining distance of the journey. The ents’ movement speed was astonishingly fast.
About two hours had passed, it was already twelve o’clock noon when they reached the outermost periphery of the ents’ territory.
Su Mo was finally able to check out what the so-called ent territory was like at this spot.
Unlike the news obtained from Freedom City, the ents did not maintain their height of seven to eight meters, or dozen meters in their daily lives. There was no rule for them to be rooted in the ground wantonly.
As creatures with complete intelligence, they also had a city similar to Freedom City, but slightly smaller.
The ents living in the territory all maintained a height of about 175cm, which looked very harmonious.
There were several settlements of different sizes 30 kilometers away from the ents’ city. They were like villages scattered around the city, protecting the city center.
“Hmm? The ents don’t need to eat and are able to absorb nutrients from rooting themselves in the ground, right?
“These ingredients…”
Su Mo asked curiously, and the ent carrying him did not hold back any information.
“These ingredients are for other creatures!” he replied in a loud voice.
“Other creatures?”
Slightly stunned, as the team moved a few steps further into the center, the ent did not answer anymore. The sight in front of them became clear, and Su Mo got his answer.
“Humans? There are humans in your territory?”
This time, the shocking question did not come from Su Mo but from Sun Di, who could not hold back his curiosity.
The scene before him had a great impact on him!
No one would have thought that there would be not only humans but also small villages exclusively for humans in a foreign race’s territory with towering trees.
They were in paradise, surrounded by tall trees and rich flowers and plants, living a life of peace.
Seeing the ents carrying people over, a few bold humans ran out to the village and waved, shouting at them. Their life here was evidently really comfortable!
“Haha. My friend, Sun Di, when I visited the Heavenly Court last time, I told you that the ancient ents are a race that pursues peace.
“We are connected with all things and are grateful for life.
“Human beings are high-level creatures with wisdom. They have wisdom that is beyond our reach. These wise beings should naturally be accepted and protected by us!”
As if afraid the guests did not believe him, Zhu Chuan deliberately waved his hands, causing cheers to sound from the people in the village repeatedly.
“We welcome sensible and smart humans in the ent territory and shelter them while they provide us with wisdom and solutions!
“The construction of our city and re-breeding seeds were to their credit!”
Having said that, Zhu Chuan’s footsteps did not stop, and he did not give everyone a chance to communicate.
He knew that once these humans found out that Su Mo’s territory was nearby, it would inevitably shake their loyalty and have a change of heart.
“We’re arriving at the royal city soon. The lord of the ents, Zhu Ling, is already waiting for your arrival in the royal palace.
“Another elder will accompany you on the remainder of the journey. I shall take my leave first!”
In the distance, the city of the ents was in sight.
The architectural style utilized the ent vines instead of bricks and formed a city wall consisting of thick branches. There was also a watchtower above the city wall to observe the outside world.
There were four ents that stood six meters tall, with a mighty and extraordinary aura, on guard at the gate of the city.
“Zhu Chuan, are these the honored guests of the Heavenly Court?”
As soon as they arrived at the city gate, Zhu Chuan shrank his body and became a 1.75-meter ent like those in the village. The three ents had unfriendly expressions and frowned as they greeted him.
“Yes, Lord Su Mo and the Demon clan, as well as Light Empire, are… uhm. In short, you only need to know that these distinguished guests are representatives of Lord Su Mo.
Zhu Chuan replied and wore a disdainful expression.
“This is Elder Zhu Xia of the ents. They will lead you to meet our ent King,” he turned toward the guests and said with a smile.
“My friend, Sun Di, I’ll wait for you here when you guys leave, so please rest assured that I will follow through on my promise!”
He winked and reminded Sun Di about their agreement, then left with the other ents.
“Our guest! Please come this way!” Zhu Xia, who came to greet them, did not dare delay and immediately approached them.
With the elder leading the way, the guards did not dare to stop them from entering. As the group walked through the vine gate and saw the sight from inside, Su Mo nodded slightly in excitement.
‘Freedom City, you didn’t deceive me!’
As the second most infiltrated race in the New World besides the dwarves, everything in the city was exactly as the information sold in the Demon clan’s city.
In ents’ city, they had the same economic trade as Freedom City. Obviously, they knew the importance of intercommunication between territories during the middle and later stages.
“Honourable guests, this is the interior of the Thousand Tree King City of the ents.
“Our ordinary ent citizens open these shops to trade with and serve other ents.
“Of course, in the later stage, when we have more and more allies, and the caravan is established, there will definitely be more shops to meet the transactions with other tribes, so that you can rest assured.”
“This is the Seed House. This is the Plant Food House, and this is the Companion Plant Exchange…”
Su Mo could not understand the ents’ language, so Zhu Xia’s explanation was really timely.
Along with his explanation, not only did the other three people in the basin have an eye-opening shock, but even Su Mo had the incredible feeling of entering the botanical garden of another world.
On the street, ents hurried back and forth.
There were service places to help other ents prune their branches and become more beautiful.
There were also dining places that provided delicious fertilizer, and ent customers could sit at the door enjoying their food.
There were even some “weapon and equipment” places that provided companion plants that could help the ents improve their combat strength.
“The palace before you right now is the palace of the ents!”
The Thousand Tree King City had a smaller interior than Freedom City. It was about four blocks away, and it took about three kilometers to reach the palace.
The term “palace” seemed rather grand, but it was not much different from the buildings outside apart from being surrounded by a wall to prevent intruders.
“Lord Zhu Ling, the honored guests of the Heavenly Court have arrived!”
Zhu Xia walked inside the palace and ascended a three-story building bigger than the previous area, and respectfully announced.
“Come in!”
