Void Beetle Evolution Guide

Chapter 473 The Garden of Forgetfulness

After the great battle, Syndra drove away from Presidium.

"Are you satisfied now? If you are, give me back my sword," said Wild Hunt.

"Isn't it for me?" Syndra asked.

"You wish! I was just showing you around."

Syndra hadn't properly studied the Blade of the Ruined King yet, and seemed intent on taking it over, but Wild Hunt immediately reclaimed it from the Hive.

This weapon is just icing on the cake for Syndra, but it's an island-defining artifact on the Shadow Isles. Do we even need to think about the choice? We can just bring it over when needed.

"So stingy," Syndra muttered under her breath, only to be slapped twice on the butt and rubbed by Wild Hunt.

"What are you babbling about? Aren't you tired? If you are, take a rest. If you're not tired, go straight to the Garden of Forgetfulness."

After venting her emotions, Syndra's temper became more stable than before. Even when she was touched a couple of times, she didn't say anything. Wild Hunt was finally able to tell her his plans.

What are you going there for?

"Find someone."

……

As they flew along, Wild Hunt noticed that the forests had become increasingly pristine. The lush canopies formed an impenetrable canopy, exuding a primal atmosphere.

Syndra didn't fly over from high altitudes. Since the floating island was gone anyway, she simply came down to the ground and flew close to the ground at a height of about one meter.

It's impossible for Syndra to walk on solid ground. Once bitten, twice shy. Ever since she was dragged underground by tree roots and slept for a hundred years, she's had an inescapable wariness of the earth. If she hadn't defeated the incarnation of the Soul of Ionia this time and broken the shadow in her heart, she might still be reluctant to even fly close to the ground.

Another reason is that she doesn't like to exercise and doesn't want to put in any effort. Also, open-toed footed socks are not suitable for walking on the ground, and her delicate feet would get dirty after just a few steps.

Although Syndra doesn't like to move around much, she's been eating quite a bit along the way. After getting the skin armor, she didn't give up eating just because she didn't feel hungry. On the contrary, because she wouldn't get an upset stomach, she bravely started trying new foods.

The abundance of wild magic meant that there were so many fruits to pick along the way that they were countless. These foods hung brightly on the branches or lay on the ground, free for passersby to pick. The Noxians were moved to tears by the sight.

In addition, the Wild Hunt noticed that the unfamiliar faces along the roadside were gradually changing from humans to all sorts of Vastaya.

They were entering the world of Vastaya, but these Vastaya either hid in the shadows or stood far away on tree branches, never approaching them on their own initiative.

Syndra didn't care about this. In her eyes, humans and Vastaya were no different, and she hated Ionians and Noxians just the same.

And so it went until nightfall. Syndra flew over a withered fern, parted a bunch of drooping spicy cherries, and saw the swaying light shining through the woods ahead, a captivating sight in the darkness.

Syndra noticed the light; it was the light emitted by the Okel flower, which some humans liked to use as a lighting tool.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew the chill of the night onto her face, carrying with it the scents of ripe fruit and blooming flowers. Syndra realized she had arrived at the entrance to the garden.

The ground beneath our feet transitions from rock to fertile soil, and a labyrinthine network of caves lies nestled in the deep crater. The garden is ablaze with radiant eucalyptus flowers, along with many other varieties, their blossoms swaying and leaves rustling in the night breeze.

She looked around, but there was no one in sight among the shadows of the trees. This was a naturally formed garden, situated on an extinct volcano.

"Is this the Garden of Forgetfulness?"

“It seems so,” Wild Hunt replied, looking at the scene before him.

Why is it called "Forget-Worries"?

"because--"

A gust of cold wind blew, carrying something light onto Syndra's face. The icy touch and the prickling sensation made her gasp in surprise.

She reached out and touched her face, plucking a petal from her cheek. Then she looked at the snow-white flower at her feet—a blooming snow lily.

Syndra brought the petals to her nose and smelled them. The fragrance was intoxicating, a blend of a young girl's scent, ripe peaches, a summer breeze, and fresh... predation.

"murderous look?"

Syndra quickly removed the petals, but the fragrance had already filled her nostrils. She began to feel dizzy, completely unaware that the petals in her hand had taken on a new color. (The last two lines are a nonsensical string of characters and cannot be translated.)

A painful memory automatically surfaced in his mind—a pair of eyes suddenly awoke, only to notice that the golden snow lily vines had already wrapped around his limbs, the barbs on the vines digging deep into his flesh and sucking blood.

A thorny net woven from moon roses descended from the sky, completely enveloping me. Their leaves were as sharp as blades, cutting into my skin, while their thick flower stems encircled my head, neck, nose, and mouth, covering my mouth.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a woman with arms entwined with flower vines, a face covered in wrinkles like tree bark, and an inscrutable expression. She watched helplessly as I was dragged into the flowerbed, offering no help, letting me be swallowed by the blossoms.

A slight movement deep within the flowerbed startled Syndra awake. She saw that the petal in her hand had turned from gold to snow-white and immediately tossed it away. Looking down at her feet, she realized that no vines were entwining her legs and that everything she had seen was an illusion.

“There’s something strange about this flower.” Syndra said coldly. She plucked a snow lily, which was visibly turning white, as if the ink had been removed from a drawing and the paper had been turned white. A terrifying sap was oozing from the broken stem.

The Wild Hunt was not surprised by this. "This garden is called Forget-Me-Not because the flowers here eat away at a person's memories, but if you don't leave in time, they will eat you whole."

"I've already experienced it once."

"If you want to forget bad memories, you have to do it under the guidance of a florist, otherwise accidents can easily happen."

“The gardener…” Syndra shook her head, recalling the woman who stood by in her memory. “I have no memories to forget.”

She does have many bad memories, but those are in the past, and thinking about them now doesn't make her angry, nor is it worth the risk.

"Let's continue deeper into the garden. If all goes well, the Dream Tree we're looking for is in this garden."

Syndra nodded, raising herself slightly to avoid inhaling more of the snow lily pollen. She wondered how many lives had been lost here.

Chapter 474 The Dream Tree

After passing through a patch of snow lilies and a small forest, Syndra saw the Dream Tree that the Wild Hunt had been talking about.

The so-called Dream Tree is not a single large tree standing alone in the center of the garden, but a forest formed by a single tree growing from the same root system.

The mother tree is exceptionally large, standing out from the rest of the forest. Its branches are covered with abundant pink flowers, forming a pink canopy that looks spectacular from afar.

The surrounding trees grow in a lake, their thick roots dividing the lake into countless puddles, each containing part of the other, forming a seamless whole.

These dream trees also bloom with pink flowers, but these flowers are still in the bud stage. The buds contain luminous dewdrops, each one larger than a fist, weighing down the branches.

In addition, Syndra saw many little fairies floating in the garden. They varied in shape and size, but all had in common that they were transparent blue, like jellyfish from the deep sea, adding a dreamlike atmosphere to the garden.

"This place contains many kinds of magic, and I sense an aura similar to that of the Spirit Willow..."

Syndra reached out to touch the little sprite, which looked like a bubble with two dark eyes. But as soon as Syndra touched it, it grew short, cute tentacles like octopus sausages, which contracted and expanded like jets of air and then floated away in a flash.

Her dark magic was out of place here, and after she showed curiosity, many of the fairies quickly distanced themselves from this uninvited guest.

"The Dream Tree, like the Spirit Willows that are scattered throughout Ionia, is a descendant of the ancient forest Omicaiaran. The only difference is that it grew from the seed of the Emperor Willow and was cared for by the Emerald God Ivern, so it can collect human dreams with its flowers, and the place where it grows became the Garden of Forgetfulness. If I remember correctly, these little sprites should be called Dream Bubble Sprites."

Wild Hunt explained that this secluded garden was unknown to many, even Syndra herself, being an Ionian, had never heard of it.

However, she did know the legend of the Emperor Willow. People knew that when the Emperor Willow was cut down by invaders and its life came to an end, it transferred its power to the invaders and moved them. So this person took on the Emperor Willow's responsibilities and walked the earth as the Green God Aiweng, taking care of the growth of all things.

Syndra noticed something moving in the dewdrop inside the flower bud. She drifted over to take a look and discovered that it seemed to be someone's dream.

She extended her fingertip and gently touched the dewdrop, which was originally crystal clear. Instantly, the dewdrop was stained black by her nail, which was shrouded in black mist, and black lines appeared like ink spreading. At the same time, the atmosphere of the dream became gloomy and terrifying, and the peaceful and serene expression of the dreamer turned into one of fear and panic.

"I think I... messed something up." Syndra saw the Dream Bubble Fairy rush in front of Dewdrop and shield her behind her. Even though she was afraid of her, she would protect Dewdrop closely.

"You've tainted someone's beautiful dream. Looks like someone's going to have nightmares tonight," Wild Hunt said gloatingly.

"Is it really that fragile...?"

Sindrag took a few steps back speechlessly. Seeing that she had no intention of interfering further, the little elves immediately began to repair the dream.

"Let's get down to business." Urged on by Wild Hunt, Syndra flew across the water toward the mother tree in the middle.

Because the branches along the way were too low, Syndra had to remove the Dark Crown from her head and fly under the branches to lower her altitude. Her bare toes accidentally brushed against the water's surface, creating ripples of light. The cool touch on her toes made her instinctively bend her knees and pull her legs back. This cautious manner was rare to see and rather cute.

She twisted her toes and wrinkled her delicate nose, saying, "These pools of water seem to be the same thing as the Dream Pool water."

The names "Dream Tree" and "Dream Pool" are so similar that it's no wonder she would make such an association.

“Very likely. What? Are you afraid I'll seal you away here? It would be such a waste to abandon such an ability. Don't worry, I will make the most of you.”

"That's really rude of you. Do you want to treat me like a donkey?" Syndra said unhappily.

"I won't treat you like a donkey, but I can make you bray like a donkey~~"

Upon hearing this, Syndra immediately gripped the hem of her skirt warily, rubbing her inner thighs shyly, a blush creeping onto her cheeks.

These past few days, Wild Hunt has been taking advantage of her quite a bit, frequently touching her inappropriately, putting his hands under her chest or skirt, engaging in plenty of foreplay but never satisfying her.

Those large hands seemed to possess magic; under their repeated manipulation, Syndra clearly felt herself becoming much more repressed, even dreaming about such things. Her body felt as if some strange switch had been implanted, reacting to the slightest touch.

Thinking of all this, she pressed down on her skirt and said resentfully, "That's all you're capable of!"

"Let's get down to business first. There will be plenty of time for you to see my abilities later." Wild Hunt could tell that she was about to lose her temper, but he still kept her hanging on, poking her soft and fragrant breasts with his fingers: "I wonder how many mosquito bites you'll get if you sleep here."

"Forget about it, I definitely won't sleep here."

Although Syndra has always been at odds with Wild Hunt, she responds to his every word, which shows that her attitude towards Wild Hunt is unusual.

Syndra continued flying towards the Mother Tree. Due to her long-term merging with dreams, many creatures unseen elsewhere had sprung up around the Dream Tree. (The remaining text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the preceding sentence.)

Aside from the colorful hallucinogenic mushrooms around the tree roots, Syndra saw several small sleeping dragons lying on their backs, completely relaxed on the roots. They weren't real dragons; they only grew to the size of lizards and were the most common inhabitants of this garden.

In addition, she saw some wooden spirits walking around on the ground, resembling round alarm clocks with thin limbs, looking silly and clueless, and she didn't know what they were for.

Stopping in front of the mother tree, Syndra saw a blue breeze made of dream bubble fairies blowing past her, slowly floating around the curved trunk.

Her gaze followed the elves, when she suddenly noticed someone seemingly spying on her from behind the tree trunk. Her eyes narrowed instantly, and she reached out, unexpectedly lifting the person into the air.

A fairy deer appeared before them. Her lower body was that of a deer, but her upper body was that of a young girl. She even had a bud of the Dream Tree on her head, clearly indicating that she was the gardener here.

"Oh no! This is terrible! Don't kill me!"

The fawn seemed very shy. When it was captured by such a powerful witch as Syndra, it kicked its hooves anxiously, steam rising from its head. The buds that were about to bloom visibly withered.

She flailed wildly at the branches, the lanterns at the ends scattering glowing, sleep-inducing pollen. Syndra used magic to smother the pollen, intending to subdue the half-deer girl, but unexpectedly, the girl collapsed and fainted first.

Chapter 475 Ahri and Lilia

"What's wrong with her?" Even Syndra was stunned when she saw the unconscious Fairy Deer.

“She’s probably stressed; she’s shy,” Wild Hunt replied.

"You know her?"

“Lilia is the gardener here. She was formed from a bud of the Dream Tree. She is timid by nature, but if we want to find someone’s dream among the vast dewdrops, we can only ask her for help.”

Seeing this, Syndra could only pull the other person under the mother tree and then get some cool water from the nearby pool and splash it on her face.

Lilia was awakened by the icy water splash. She shook her face a few times and saw that Syndra was still there. She almost fainted again from fright.

"Ahhh! No...don't kill me!" Lilia flailed her four legs trying to run away, but no amount of struggle from Syndra in the air was of any use.

Syndra continued, "If you want me to spare your life, then you'd better find someone's dream, or I'll pluck the flower bud off your head!"

"No! Don't break my flower buds! Don't break my flower buds! Mother Tree, please save Lilia!" Lilia was still frantically pleading for help, but the mother tree was ultimately just a tree and couldn't save her.

Syndra made a few more threats, but to no avail. Lilia's answers were irrelevant; trapped in fear, she could only repeat meaningless cries and pleas for mercy, and the conversation remained stagnant.

"No, I can't communicate with this silly spore. She won't listen to human speech at all." Syndra was extremely frustrated. The Dream Bubble sprites around her had all gathered around, but they were not very dangerous. They could only wink at Syndra in an attempt to scare her away.

"I'll call someone over; maybe she can help." Wild Hunt tore open a crack in the wall. Lilia was indeed too timid, but Syndra's inability to speak politely was also a problem; the two were destined to be unable to communicate effectively.

Not long after Lilia's birth, she had always stayed in the garden and had never come into contact with humans. Her understanding of humans was limited to various beautiful dreams. She didn't even dare to approach the naturally friendly Ionians, only daring to peek at them from afar, let alone a witch like Syndra, who was burdened with karma and shrouded in darkness.

A figure leaped out from the crack, and after removing his helmet, a pair of furry ears were revealed.

That's right, the person Wild Hunt summoned was Ahri. Out of trust in Wild Hunt, even if he didn't say anything, as soon as Ahri saw the rift opening up around her, she would drop what she was doing and dive in to see what was happening on the other side.

As soon as Ahri emerged, her gaze was drawn to the large tree covered in blossoms before her. Her amber eyes widened in surprise. "Dream Tree... Is this the Garden of Forgetfulness? My benefactor, have you all arrived in Ionia?"

"Is this also one of your familiars?" Looking at the stunningly beautiful Vastaya before her, Syndra felt inexplicably displeased, with an irritating urge to pluck all the fur off her fluffy tail.

Hearing the unfamiliar voice, Ahri's ears turned before her head, and when she saw Syndra floating in mid-air, she immediately widened her eyes in curiosity: "Huh? It's not Kai'Sa."

"Ahri, this is Syndra, you may have heard of her."

"It's an honor to meet you. My name is Ahri, nice to meet you." Ahri suddenly realized that the name Syndra was still synonymous with evil in many provinces of Ionia, but since they were wearing armor, they were all family.

"Let's skip the handshake. I don't like the polite formalities of mortals." Syndra ignored Ahri's outstretched hand and didn't even bother to lower it to touch it.

Ahri wasn't angry; she'd expected this. It was normal for a notorious witch like her to have a bad temper. She maintained her polite smile: "So, where's Kaisa? Why aren't they together?"

Upon hearing this, Wild Hunt sighed, "Kasha... has gone missing. Not only that, Sephiroth and Portil have also gone missing."

"Oh my god, you're only telling me this now?" Ahri covered her mouth, unable to hide her surprise.

"Reporting only good news and not bad news will only increase your worries." Wild Hunt didn't want to explain again.

"Ha, you certainly have a lot of relatives."

"Yes, we lost contact during World War I. No matter how difficult it is, I must find them and make sure they are safe. If you were the one who lost contact, I would do everything I could to find you."

Syndra, caught off guard by Wild Hunt's response, couldn't utter her prepared sarcasm and turned her face away haughtily. "Mei, you have Yongzai Kong, you have Linzai Zai, but not..."

Wild Hunt continued, "Ahri, I asked you to come here so that I could contact Kai'Sa and the others in the dream through the Dream Tree, and use your charm magic to get Fairy Deer to cooperate with us."