Wizard: Starting from Escape from the Thorn Garden

Chapter 145 Request

She exuded an extremely pure, gentle, and vibrant life aura, the concentration and quality of which even surpassed many carefully cultivated magical plants in the Garden of Life. At the same time, it also carried a non-human, pure and ethereal feeling, similar to an elemental spirit or a spirit of nature.

The study is bathed in soft light, not from candlelight or magic lamps, but from the natural glow of luminous moss and gentle firefly strains embedded in the walls and ceiling, enveloping the entire space in a tranquil green glow.

Liria was engrossed in a huge desk carved from a single piece of sandalwood, the mountain of scrolls and ancient books on the desk almost obscuring his figure, revealing only the top of his signature wide-brimmed hat adorned with a few green leaves.

"Kate, you're here."

Liria looked up from behind the pile of books, her face bearing her usual gentle and wise smile, like the warm spring sun.

His gaze swept past the pile of documents and landed on the petite figure who followed Kate in. He pointed and said, "This is Amber, a member of the Light Fairy race from the deepest part of the Eternal Night Forest, a sacred place said to be protected by ancient natural spirits—the Tranquil Forest."

She came to the fortress with an extremely rare natural trade team from deep in the forest, specifically requesting to meet you, the young hero who had just received the "Heart of Life" medal.

Kate's heart skipped a beat.

Light Elves? The Tranquil Forest? He had read scattered records about this race in the oldest Elvish manuscripts in the Library of the Garden of Life.

They are not elemental beings, nor are they ordinary branches of elves, but spiritual life forms that are closer to the original consciousness of nature and are the embodiment of the pure will of the forest.

Legend has it that they have lived in seclusion for generations in the heart of the ancient forest, where life energy is most abundant and pristine, almost isolated from the world, guarding ancient secrets and balance.

The Forest of Tranquility is a name that exists only in the most ethereal songs of wandering poets and the most obscure notes of sages in the eternal forest of night. It is known as the "lungs of the world" and "one of the source nodes of the ancient path of life".

Why would an envoy from such a mysterious place travel thousands of miles to find me by name?

His gaze was completely drawn to the little creature named Amber.

The little fairy named Amber saw Kate approaching and shyly peered out from behind that overly tall...

I slid off the wicker chair that was entwined with ivy.

Her movements were light and silent, as if her feet did not touch the ground.

With steps as light as a deer in the forest, she walked up to Kate, having to crane her neck to see his face.

Her large, amber eyes scrutinized Kate closely, even with a hint of scrutiny. Her small, delicate nose twitched slightly, as if trying to detect and confirm some unique scent in the air, like a young animal recognizing its kin.

"Hello, powerful nature walker." Amber's voice rang out, clear and melodious, like the clearest stream in the forest rushing over pebbles, or like the natural rhythm played by an ancient wind chime in the breeze, each syllable carrying the breathing rhythm of the forest.

"My name is Amber. I—I and the elders, in the collective dream of the forest and the whispers of nature, perceived a unique light—warm, profound, and connected to a calling, glittering star tree."

The elders said that the owner of this light might—might—be the key to helping us find a way out and purify our home.

A collective dream of the forest? A tree of glittering stars?

Kate instantly understood that the "Star Tree" she sensed was most likely Aisha, who had just advanced to the second ring and whose Star Fruit resonated strongly with the rules of space.

The unique energy fluctuations generated when Aisha broke through were captured in the collective consciousness or dreams of these light fairies who were deeply connected to the origin of nature and had extraordinary perception, even though they had crossed unimaginable distances!

Their description of Ash as a "star tree" is both apt and poetic.

But what does the "key" that helps them refer to?

Has the Serene Forest, that legendary sacred place, encountered a problem that even the Light Fairy race cannot solve on its own?

Kate suppressed the turmoil and numerous questions in his heart, and bowed slightly, trying to align his gaze with Amber's.

Respond with the gentlest, most equal, and respectful tone possible, as if conversing with an ancient spirit of nature: "Hello, Amber. I'm Kate. It's a pleasure to meet you. You said—you and your home need my help?"

Amber nodded vigorously, her small hands nervously clutching the hem of her skirt adorned with soft flower petals. A shadow of worry clouded her once clear eyes, and her tone became urgent and earnest: "Yes! Our home, the Tranquil Forest—has recently been invaded by a strange, cold, gray gloom."

Her voice trembled slightly, as if she were recalling that unsettling scene: "It was like a shadow without substance, or a living plague. Wherever it passed, the vitality of the trees was quickly drained, and the branches and leaves withered and died, as if winter had arrived prematurely."

The clear spring water turned murky and bitter, exuding the scent of death;

Even the oldest and most sacred life path in the forest has become unstable, with the path appearing and disappearing intermittently and the energy flow becoming intermittent—the entire forest is weeping silently.

Furthermore, the heart of the forest—the Amber River of Time, the legendary river that reflects fragments of the past and future—has also begun to become murky and turbulent, its flow erratic, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, losing its former tranquility and depth.

She looked up, her amber eyes filled with a pure, almost unadulterated expectation and pleading, as if Kate were the only light she saw in this suddenly dimmed world: "The elders say that only by finding the one who possesses the purest natural heart and the power to traverse the boundaries between dreams and reality can we find the source of the pollution, purify the forest, and restore balance to everything."

The light emanating from you is warm, like an ancient guardian, giving me a sense of security.

"The star tree beside you," it seems to be telling me in the ripples of a dream, that it can sense the path and lead us to the core of the problem.

Would you... would you help us? Help the Silent Forest?

Ancient Path of Life and Amber River of Time?

Kate was shocked, as if struck by a lightning bolt originating from the very source of the world.

Isn't this the very clue he'd been painstakingly searching for and repeatedly scrutinizing in those ancient book fragments and rubbings of the tree spirit tribe's sacrificial rituals not long ago?!

The "gray" erosion, the instability of the Ancient Path of Life, and the turbidity of the Amber River of Time described by the Light Fairy Amber almost perfectly match the location and anomalies mentioned in the legend of the "Emerald Dreamland" that he was looking for, which may be related to the "Dream Core"!

Could it be that the tranquil forest, protected by the Light Fairy clan for generations, is the legendary "Emerald Dreamland," the place he has been searching for, which may contain the key artifact that can help him integrate with the rules of reincarnation—the "Dream Core"?

At this moment, this peaceful natural sanctuary is being threatened by some unknown and highly corrosive "dark" force.

Risk and opportunity have intertwined violently in an unexpected way at this moment!

Responding to Amber's plea for help means venturing deep into the most dangerous heart of the Eternal Night Forest, to that tranquil forest that exists only in legends, and to confront the "Gray" erosion that even the Light Fairy Elders are helpless against.

This is undoubtedly an adventure full of unknown risks. The "dark" nature and its underlying source may hide unimaginable terrifying existences or powers, and may even involve some corrupted natural spirits or corrosive forces from outside the world. But on the other hand, it may also be an unprecedented and unique opportunity!

This is not only an action to practice the tenet of protecting nature with the Hand of Life, but also an opportunity to witness firsthand the legends about the Ancient Path of Life and the River of Amber Time.

In the process of helping the Light Fairy purify their home and investigating the source of the "Darkness," he may very well find that legendary place.

To come into contact with the "core of dreams," which may exist and resonate deeply with one's own cycle of rebirth.

Or other wondrous natural objects that can greatly promote the integration of his rules and break through his current bottlenecks!

This is far more direct than him blindly searching through books or reinventing himself in the relatively safe and evergreen confines of the market.

Highly efficient and full of endless possibilities.

Kate gazed at the little fairy before her, as pure as the first drop of morning dew, seemingly embodying all the natural spirit in the world.

At the same time, he clearly felt a strong wave of curiosity and eagerness coming from Aishe through the soul connection in his spiritual sea, and even a trace of instinctive vigilance and rejection towards the "dark" aura—as a magical plant with dual attributes of space and life, Aishe was naturally sensitive to this kind of power that disrupts the balance of nature.

He took a deep breath, but the peaceful atmosphere in the study could not completely calm the turmoil in his heart.

All the clues, all the considerations, the caution towards the unknown, the desire for opportunity, and the instinctive concern deep within for the disruption of the natural balance, converge at this moment into an increasingly clear answer.

While the dangers certainly exist and should not be underestimated, the opportunities they present, as well as the responsibility to protect nature, should not be missed.

This is not just about helping a foreign race in need; it is a crucial step in whether one can break through bottlenecks and reach new heights on one's own path, and perhaps it is also the beginning of unraveling a huge mystery deep in the Eternal Night Forest.

He crouched down completely, his gaze meeting Amber's pure amber eyes. His expression became solemn and resolute, like that of a traveler about to embark on an important journey: "Amber, tell me more about that gray place."

Where did it originally come from? What are its specific characteristics?

Besides withering and becoming cloudy, what other signs does it exhibit? What is the specific condition of your forest now?

Tell me everything you know and everything you feel.

His tone was calm and forceful, carrying a convincing power born of careful consideration, as if he had already made some important initial decision: "Perhaps—my partner and I can indeed offer some help."

Hearing Kate's response, Amber seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and nodded vigorously. Her small hands nervously gripped the hem of her petal-adorned skirt as she tried to recall and describe it more precisely: "The gloom—it first appeared from the Whispering Valley, the valley covered with glowing mushrooms that the eastern branch of the Ancient Path of Life passes through."

It's like—like it seeps from the ground, initially very faint, almost invisible, but you feel a chill when you get close.

She gestured with her little hand, "It doesn't seem to react to the sound at all."

However, it reacts to light, especially pure moonlight and the light of life.

When we illuminate it with the moonlight ritual, it shrinks and tumbles like a living thing, but it doesn't disappear. Instead, it seems to become even more intense, as if it has been provoked.

Moreover, its spread will temporarily accelerate after the ritual.

This detail caused Kate to frown slightly—a sign that is both adaptable and prone to backlash, which is not a good omen.

"An animal touched by darkness—" Amber's voice carried a hint of fear, "will not die immediately, but will become—very strange."

The docile forest deer can become irritable and attack any living creature.

The birds will forget how to sing, only emitting piercing screams, and then frantically crashing against the tree trunks—finally, they will slowly melt into a black, sticky puddle that emits a foul odor.

The scene she described was horrifying.

"Plants are more direct, like being drained of all life, instantly withering into ashes."

But—but in some places, after the darkness, a kind of never-before-seen, black, thorny, twisted plant will sprout, hard and slightly wriggling, which looks very unsettling.

Instructor Liria interjected, her fingertips tracing across a magical map unfolding on the table. The area representing the Eternal Night Forest was shrouded in a light mist: "The information brought by Amber corroborates some scattered reports the Barrier has recently received."

In the past six months, several expeditions that went to the central part of the forest have lost contact, and the last messages they sent back mentioned "abnormal fog" and "psychological interference".

Border outposts have also reported abnormal distortions and expansions in the visible boundaries of the forest during specific lunar cycles.

It was as if the forest itself was breathing, but the breath it exhaled was unsettling.

However, our main focus recently has been on the war in the undead plane, so we have only issued a high alert to warn wizards heading there.

He pointed to several areas marked in red on the map. "If the 'gray' erosion described by the Light Fairies is true, and its influence is already expanding, then this is probably not a localized event, but rather the beginning of an environmental anomaly at the dimensional level."