T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World.

Chapter 200, page 199: The Demonic Metasequoia
Sister Metasequoia led everyone into the church and lit the hanging oil lamps, which brought light to the dim church.

With the light, everyone could see clearly that the nuns' and children's clothes were covered in patches.

The illuminated stained glass windows were riddled with broken pieces, yet remained unrepaired.

With two bags of homemade candies bought from a crafting enthusiast, the woman carrying a blanket and orange tea was busy distributing them to the children in the church.

Unlike other DIY foods and dishes, these have no special effects, but their appeal lies in their realistic taste, providing enjoyment and satisfaction for casual gamers.
Life at the church was austere, Mint said, adding that the children there generally had a sweet tooth.

The children happily accepted it, but didn't eat it.

Sister Metasequoia politely asked for one, curiously peeled off the sugar coating, and put it in her mouth.

Hearing her laugh and say how sweet it was, the children then began to eat the candy eagerly.

Zhong Zemo nudged the prison guard with his elbow.

"The nun with long, straight black hair is pretty and a good match for your XP system. Why is she so quiet today?"

In the past, he would have already started giving his comments.

Zhong Zemo and his quilt were prepared for the prison guard to suddenly have a relapse, in case he frightened Sister Metasequoia.

But the prison guard suddenly stopped having an attack, which surprised them.

The jailer scratched his head and frowned, saying, "I don't know why... it feels like my nun radar isn't working at all."

"What does it mean that there was no sound?" Zhong Zemo asked, puzzled.

"Maybe it's because Mint calls her 'Mom'?"

"Haven't you always just wanted to look good? Why is your purity so low now?"

The jailer shrugged, indicating that he couldn't understand the explanation.

Sister Metasequoia busied herself for a while, bringing everyone hot tea and citrus fruits that she had grown herself.

"Give it a try. I loved eating it when the mint was still around."

The tea was exceptionally sweet, and the citrus fruit had only a slight sour taste, leaving a lingering sweet aftertaste.

This is one of the few decent dishes that can be served to guests in this austere place.

Jiang Heyi noticed that some children were staring intently at the fruit plate while eating candy, their eyes filled with reluctance. If it weren't for the older children who were more sensible and hugged her, stuffing another candy into her mouth, she might have said something.

French Fries stood up and, before Metasequoia could stop him, distributed all the fruit from the fruit platter to the children.

"I'm sorry you had to see this," said the sage tree with a guilty expression. "The children are just being immature."

Jiang Heyi shook his head.

The children are already quite sensible. They've never had enough to eat or wear since they were little. It's rare for the family to have something good, but they always give it to outsiders first. If it were him, he would also find it hard to remain calm.

He couldn't help but have some doubts about his previous judgment.

Are dawn redwoods truly hidden masters?
If she had made all those scrolls, with the power of the dawn redwood to protect a church, how could the children around her have been left barely able to survive?

"Where is Mint now? Why didn't she come back with you?"

Here it comes, the part where Mint Mom repeatedly warned about covering up the lie has finally arrived.

Jiang Heyi took out the response script she had prepared beforehand.

"She has been granted the opportunity to read in the Star Speakers Academy's library and will be very busy for some time, so she specifically asked us for help."

The children exclaimed in surprise.

"Mint Sister is amazing."

"I thought she was just bluffing to reassure us, but it's actually true!"

The dawn redwood patted the children's heads to calm them down.

She smiled with relief: "I see. But Mint never mentioned to me that you've made so many friends outside. Could it be at the academy?"

“Yes and no, we have connections with some people at the Star Speakers Academy, and we met Mint by chance.” The blanket quickly chimed in, “Mint is approachable, and we became friends after a while.”

Metasequoia covered her mouth and chuckled: "Really? Mint is studying Potions. How are your grades? Have you made any progress?"

French Fries quickly added, "We've all used the potions Mint makes, and the effects are always surprisingly good. Her talent is genuine."

Metasequoia nodded with satisfaction: "That's true. That child has had a strong interest in potions since she was little. Oh... what about her combat skills? Have they improved?"

The jailer immediately replied, "Of course, she's a genius, an all-around rising star."

Metasequoia asked many questions about Mint's daily life, including her clothing, food, housing, and transportation. The concern on her face when she asked these questions reminded everyone of their own parents.

When they first left home to live at school, they were also very talkative, as if they had endless things to say.

Although it was not late at night, the children could not resist their weariness and slumped down in their chairs, dozing off.

Shuishan apologized and repeatedly carried the sleeping children back inside.

It was a cramped dormitory located behind the church, with the only light source being a nearly extinguished crystal lamp located above the dormitory, illuminating a dozen or so beds.

The light was dim and soft.

This is the most luxurious item I saw after arriving at this church from the boundary between the virtual and real worlds.

The dawn redwood gently covered each child with a blanket and tiptoed back to close the door.

He only spoke after they were far away from the dormitory.

"Would anyone be willing to do me a small favor?"

"of course."

Shuishan apologized, "Actually, when I came down the mountain today, I forgot to pick any extra ingredients, so I can't entertain so many people at the same time. Could you come with me now?"

Jiang Heyi waved his hands repeatedly: "There's no need for that trouble, we can buy it." Shui Shan's attitude was firm: "I can't let you spend money. Since that's the case, you should rest too. I'll be right back."

From our interactions today, we can vaguely sense that Shui Shan is a gentle and simple person who would rather go through trouble himself than let others suffer or spend money.

She took her food, a lantern, and incense to repel insects and animals, and went outside.

The area around Hotfat City is teeming with monsters and wild beasts, making nighttime travel extremely risky.

The dawn redwood is already in such a state, how could the boundary between reality and illusion just lie on the ground? Let's wait for dawn, and the story will continue.

What if their guess is wrong, and the metasequoia is just an ordinary person, and the scroll's origin has another reason—because they were lazy and slept in, they slept away Mint's mother's mother...

At the boundary between reality and illusion, everyone swallowed hard.

Mint is alright in her grief, but I'm afraid she'll disappear forever and be cut off from the guild.

The metasequoia church was located on the outer edge of the city-state. The nearby villages had long since turned off their lights and gone to bed. Looking back, apart from the lights within the city-state, it was pitch black.

Carrying a lantern, the dawn redwood led the group along the winding, difficult mountain path. The faint light of the lantern could only illuminate a meter or two ahead, like a messenger for wandering souls.

Perhaps because they were so immersed in the experience, no one thought to release the illumination orb.

Walking to the side of a mountain stream, listening to the rushing water, the dawn redwood quickly found several densely growing mushrooms based on the markings it had made beforehand.

She skillfully picked the rice, quickly built a fire pit, set up the small pot she carried with her, and washed and rinsed the rice.

"Could you help me light the fire?"

"What's wrong?" Jiang Heyi was a little dizzy.

"This is a temporary event, and it might take half a day to prepare. Let's have a meal first to conserve our energy."

The dawn redwood was so enthusiastic that it was hard to refuse, so everyone had no choice but to sit around the fire pit.

Lacking proper tableware, they simply used magic to carve nearby bamboo into bowls and chopsticks to make do.

The mushroom rice was very fragrant. Apart from salt, there were no other seasonings, but the freshly picked mushrooms had an exceptionally pleasant and rich aroma that permeated everyone's heart and soul. After eating it, everyone felt happy and cheerful.

The whole pot of rice was devoured by everyone.

As a late-night snack, it's so perfect that everyone really wants another ice-cold soda.

"Is everyone full?"

The dawn redwood smiled and slowly stood up.

"I'm full, it was so delicious."

Zhong Zemo's remarks further enhanced the prestige of mushroom rice.

The metasequoia nodded: "That's good, you're full."

With her back to the crowd, she slowly walked towards the distant mountain stream.

Visibility was already low at night, and the area around the mountain stream was littered with stones and uneven. Fearing that the metasequoia tree might slip and twist its ankle, the group hurriedly got up and chased after it.

The dawn redwood didn't seem to be walking, but rather floating. Her toes lightly touched the pebbles, and she fluttered and turned in mid-air like a butterfly, floating in mid-air.

Under the night sky, the dawn redwood glowed with a faint blue light, and its gentle, watery eyes gradually began to shimmer with a purple glow.

The magical power that the four primordial entities had repeatedly tried to perceive but could not find, now erupted from the metasequoia like a pent-up torrent.

“I’ve been hungry, so…”

"They'll always be fed before they leave."

That once ever-smiling face was now only icy cold.

"Where is Mint right now?!"

His voice was like thunder.

"She's studying in the main library," Orange Tea said, still unaware of the gravity of the situation, trying to explain.

A strange rhythm rippled through the air, and everyone felt dizzy.

The water cypress's voice was icy cold: "Still trying to lie to me? I know what kind of child Mint is better than any of you..."

"Approachable? Her eccentric personality always makes her unpredictable to those around her."

"They are not frank, they always hide things, and they are unwilling to express themselves properly, which makes people anxious and annoyed."

"Her homemade potions are always full of mishaps. Ordinary people would regard those flawed products, which are both good and bad, as masterpieces, and would the geniuses of the Star Speaker Academy do the same?"

"And then there's real-world experience. When did she become someone who detaches herself from her specialized field and gets distracted by other areas?"

"Your rhetoric is terrible."

"Now I'm giving you one last chance to explain... what happened to Mint!"

"My pendant, she always carried it with her, never let it out of her sight, how could it have ended up in your hands!"

This is bad; they've covered up Mint's lie and gotten her into trouble!
“Sister Metasequoia, please let me explain. Actually, Mint has been involved in many things with us, and she is definitely not in danger.”

“Those who are struggling to survive all use the same crude and indiscriminate rhetoric,” said Metasequoia. “Indeed, I should find the answer myself.”

Thick, billowing black mist gushed out from beneath the metasequoia nun's habit.

French Fries immediately covered his head, gritting his teeth in pain: "This feeling... is exactly the same as when we were in the Great Snow Mountain."

Fear bursting forth from the depths of the soul transformed into musical notes, resounding loudly in everyone's mind.

Jiang Heyi suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and his whole body trembled violently.

"A demon...she is a demon!"

(End of this chapter)