Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

Unlike druids who have difficulty moving in the forest, these tree people are "part of the forest" and can easily make the surrounding vegetation retreat, allowing them to move freely.

"Don't provoke their wrath," Rufo's whisper echoed in the hearts of the others. "Ordinary strength is not easy to fight against them, and fire will make them furious."

Reslaufer's expression changed several times. To be fair, he had no objection to fighting these wooden stakes, but he had to consider others. So after weighing the pros and cons, the mercenary retreated cautiously.

Sander and the other returnees slowly retreated in another direction. The tree people in the forest were not beings that could be easily provoked, and the same was true for druids - especially the tree people who were born in such a large area as the Golinoto Mountains.

There may be some individuals among them who have lived for ten, even a hundred, or even hundreds of centuries, so long that they have walked with the ancient elves and witnessed the wars between dragons and giants. No one knows whether they really exist, but if, if they are true, such tree people cannot be simply described as "powerful".

But it was impossible for Leslaufer and others to just go back home like that.

"We need a way to avoid those tree people," Patrick said after making sure they were far away from them. "Their behavior is a little strange. Although they are still committed to maintaining peace, it's still strange."

"Now that we have encountered this, we can't just sit there and do nothing."

"But hiding from the treants in the forest is difficult," the Archdruid couldn't help but frown this time. "They'll notice any movement—in fact, even our plans here might not be hidden from their perception."

"Even you can't do anything?" Bella looked at Rufo in surprise, "But you——"

"You can't exploit nature without letting it know, Bella," Rufo spread his hands helplessly. "We need other means, but I'm afraid Miss Daisy doesn't have that ability."

The bard held his harp. "I know a number of spells that can do this, but I can't cast any of them."

Normally, druids are the most stealthy beings in the forest, because usually enlightened trees such as treants will stand on their side, but now the situation is different. However, just when everyone is at a loss, a group of unexpected people suddenly lend a hand.

"Rumble--"

A series of earth-shaking roars suddenly sounded from the direction of the tree people, and as time went by, it became farther and farther away. Apart from those tree people, it was difficult for any other existence over there to make such a noise.

"It's the returnees!" Leslaufer was the first to react. "Those guys probably tried to sneak over there, but ended up being chased away by the tree people."

"This is our chance!" Bella's eyes lit up. "Rufo, let's get going! The tree people can't run too fast, right?"

"The movement speed of these Enlightened Trees is about the same as that of ordinary people..." The Archdruid pondered for a moment, then pointed in a direction, "Follow me, we're going this way!"

No one knew how many tree people had been dispatched to capture the returnees, but if they gave up this opportunity, they would probably never be able to wait for the next chance to go deep into the mountains. Everyone was fully prepared and followed Rufo to head towards the temple of Eldath again.

The dense forest was still difficult to walk through, but it was much better than the tree people. No one bothered to complain, just seized the opportunity and kept moving forward. They kept moving until it was completely dark, and then they were forced to stop.

"Do you want to continue?" Daisy leaned closer to Bella nervously. "It's too dark now. Shouldn't we use some light? But that might attract the tree people..."

It was not known whether the tree people had stopped chasing the returnees, or whether they had been attracted far enough away, but the group here had not heard the loud noises when the tree people moved for a while.

"We can't light it," Rufo's low voice came from the front in the darkness. "It will be soon. We should be at the temple soon. Can you hear it? There's a sound of water ahead, a loud sound of water."

The Archdruid still remembered the scenery around the temple, just like the phantom he had once simulated: waterfalls and lakes hidden in the deep forest. This kind of environment was not common in the mountains, not to mention that he had always been traveling according to the route in his memory, so it was almost impossible for there to be deviations.

"Hold hands. Remember, make sure you hold the hand of the person in front of you," the paladin's voice rang out. He seemed to be recalling some horror story, and therefore seemed a little solemn. "Dark forests are usually not that safe..."

"No matter what stories you've heard, most of them are pranks by dryads and the like. Don't worry about that," Rufo said, but he still reached behind him. "Not to mention we have two druids here now."

No one knew whether the hand-in-hand strategy had worked, or whether the two druids had somehow managed to prevent the dryads from playing tricks at this crucial moment, but in any case, when the last person emerged from the forest and stood beside the waterfall amid the roar of the falling water, nothing unexpected happened. Before them, bright moonlight shone across the sky, the silvery-white lake lay quietly at their feet, and above them, a magnificent waterfall rumbled down, crashing onto the platform at their level. After a brief lull, it once again crashed towards the lake below.

Opposite this scene, there are a few ordinary silhouettes of houses and a few scattered shrubs and courtyard walls, which are almost no different from farmers' houses. A little further away, there stands a semicircular palace-like temple - that is one of the holy places in the hearts and minds of the followers of Eddas and even druids, the Temple of Eddas in the Golinoto Mountains.

"This is... the temple of Eldas." Bella opened her mouth slightly, not knowing what to say for a moment.

"This is it. Ah... It's almost the same as it was forty-six years ago," the Archdruid sighed softly and took the lead as he stepped onto the platform that blocked the waterfall. "Come on, but be careful where you step."

Chapter 144 The Night Priest

In the moonlight, the temple of Eldath looked unremarkable, its black silhouette gradually fading to reveal a wall of roughly trimmed brush and a hut made of a mixture of mud and branches.

The only difference is the temple building built with chalky translucent sandstone. However, even this most important temple is far inferior to the temple of Angolan believers in Xinmu City, just like a simple white linen robe to the purple imperial robe with gold edges.

But it is precisely in this ordinariness that there lies an indescribable dreamlike atmosphere of peace and tranquility, which makes people feel inner tranquility and makes people... needless to say.

Even Leslaufer couldn't help but relax the moment he stepped onto the other side of the waterfall, and all the tense muscles in his body relaxed. On the contrary, Patrick frowned and raised his hand to take off his sword, ready to draw it out at any time to deal with possible changes.

"Something's wrong here," he said, emphasizing each word. "My intuition isn't giving me any warning, but there's nothing reassuring about it either... Something's wrong, very wrong."

A paladin has a powerful sense of perception. Logically speaking, he should feel at peace near the temple of a benevolent deity like the Serenity, just like Leslough and the others. However, the opposite is true, which makes Patrick alert.

To his surprise, as he moved, Reslaufer, who had relaxed in front of him, straightened his back again, and returned to that state of seemingly nonchalant, yet ready to swing his sword and fight at any time.

Unlike the paladin, Patrick merely maintained a certain level of alertness. But when Reslaufer regained consciousness, the mercenary's presence seemed incongruous with the surroundings. Even without any manifestation of extraordinary power, Reslaufer felt a certain tightness in his chest, and his companions around him even had the illusion that the complex was resisting his entry.

For the paladins, this phenomenon is easier to explain: this holy land of the good gods regards Leslaufer as some kind of evil existence.

But now he is walking with "evil", and they all think that there is something wrong with this holy land - is this his problem? Should it be?

A trace of confusion flashed through Patrick's mind, and this trouble pushed him to walk past Rufo and go straight to the bush wall that was only shoulder-high and could not stop any bad intentions.

There was no visible door in the wall, but as the paladin approached, the bushes parted as if alive, leaving a gap wide enough for one person to pass through. Once Patrick passed through, the door disappeared again, and the bushes closed again.

One person at a time, the Eldath believers here did not seem to find this measure too complicated and annoying. When Rufo, Bella and others approached in turn, the wall opened and closed again and again without getting tired. But when Leslaufer approached last, the bushes in front of him did not react at all.

"It seems that there are too many of us and we finally broke it down." The poet couldn't help but make a joke.

Patrick stepped forward, but the bushes opened up again. "Come in," the paladin said, his expression a bit complicated.

what is this?

Leslaufer snorted, without even looking at the bushes that had been opened, turned and walked to the side, put his hands on the solid wall next to him, pushed hard, and climbed over with ease.

"There were so many places that didn't want me to go in," the hired man's feet landed firmly on the ground, "but which one didn't let me in in the end?"

It's just that the means are different.

"It seems this 'living bush' can only judge who is allowed in." The dwarf, accustomed to Raceloff's rude attitude, turned to look at the bush wall. "I thought your climbing over the wall like this would set off some alarm or something."

"There is no alarm, and we will not exclude any outside visitors." A calm voice suddenly sounded from near the crowd. As they turned their heads, a young man in a blue robe and dressed as a priest walked out slowly and greeted the uninvited guests politely.

His robes were embroidered with watery patterns, dotted with translucent or milky white stones as decorations. On his chest was a sky-blue disc the size of a gold coin as a holy emblem, dotted around with slightly dehydrated ferns.

"Ah, sorry, I'm not usually this clumsy," the young man noticed everyone's gazes on his chest, and explained with a chuckle, "Some believers would directly draw the appearance of plants on the holy emblem, but I think collecting fresh ferns might be better."

"Eldath doesn't insist on this," Rufo nodded. "She is a very tolerant goddess."

"Praise her broad mind. Though we walk in this mortal world, it feels as if we are walking in her divine kingdom." The priest recited a prayer in agreement, a slight smile appearing on his face. "Then, may I ask: Why did this gentleman insist on climbing over the wall to enter the divine kingdom of the Water Mother? I see that your companions have already cleared the way for you."

It is true that only one person is allowed to pass through the shrub wall outside the temple at a time, but it does not prohibit others from "opening the door" on behalf of the temple.

"Sorry, I have a bad temper," said Leslough, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "If it won't let me in, then I must come in."

"Then you've really stumped it."

The priest wasn't angry. He simply nodded and motioned for everyone to follow him. "Normally, visiting guests are received within the 'Mountain and Water Dome' by dedicated priests of higher rank than me. But the circumstances are a bit...unusual. Please don't mind me coming with me to my humble abode to rest for a while."

"I studied here for a while, so I'm not exactly a 'guest,'" the Archdruid said with a smile. "But may I ask what special circumstances you're referring to?"

The young priest was silent for a moment, then pointed to the moonlight in the sky and said, "Everyone is sleeping and meditating now. I will be on duty tonight."

A reasonable answer, but not satisfying.

"Is it just because of this?" Rufo stroked his beard and naturally changed from walking behind the priest to walking side by side with him. Soon, he was half a body length ahead of him without leaving any trace, looking as if he was the one in charge here. "Where are the arbitrators? Where is Desipa?"

"The arbitrators have gone down the mountain." The young man's pupils blurred for a moment, and his voice became vague, like a dream, but his words were remarkably clear. "Mr. Desipa is in the Mountain and Water Dome."

"Didn't you say they were sleeping?"

"...Yes," Rufo frowned. The priest was stunned for a moment before slowly nodding his head. "Everyone is sleeping and meditating now. I will be on duty tonight."

Chapter 145 Desipa

"Being manipulated?"

Daisy was startled and quickly ran to the front of the priest, but at this moment, the young man who had been so agile just now seemed like a puppet or clay sculpture, without any response.

"A simple trick temporarily cuts off the connection between the caster and him." Rufo's face showed no trace of smugness, but rather a look of deep worry. "No wonder those tree people say 'people can be as quiet as trees'... He only becomes active when someone comes. The rest of the time, he's probably just 'sleeping and meditating.'"

Vondar impulsively tried to push open the doors of the surrounding houses, but was stopped by both Reslaufer and Patrick. In this situation, it was best not to rashly try to prove anything before clarifying the situation.

"Okay, let's not talk about them. What about the tree people guarding the holy land?" Rufo waved his hand to signal Daisy to step back, and then asked again.

"...There's a problem with the tree people," the priest said. "There's a problem with the tree people. They forbid us to leave."

"What happens if you try to leave?"

The priest remained silent, and it seemed that he didn't know the answer to this question either.

"What will happen if outsiders try to enter?" asked the Archdruid again.

"Outsiders...?" "A group of druids, maybe calling themselves the Returners, or maybe something else."

"They left," the young priest replied immediately, this time with a responsive face. "They left that same day."

left?

Everyone looked at each other. This seemed to be different from what the tree people said, but it didn't seem to conflict - they only mentioned that the priest named Desipa received the returnees.

"How did they leave? Tell me in detail... Damn it!" Rufo was about to continue questioning when his face suddenly changed and he immediately stepped back. "We've been discovered! I thought I'd have at least five questions, like with the spell that lets me talk to the dead!"

"This is a living person, brother!" Vondar lowered his voice, but the dwarf soon found that he didn't seem to need to do so.

The young priest turned stiffly and pointed at Rufo: "You...you, invaders."

"I'm not!" the Archdruid quickly defended himself. "Listen, you need to wake up and find inner peace, okay? Don't let yourself be led around by the nose anymore!"

"Seek..." The priest seemed to have heard Rufo's words and took a deep breath. However, just when everyone thought things were turning around, the man took a step forward, raised his arms, and pounced towards Rufo!

"What are you doing?!" Bella turned the stick in her hand, pushed away the hands that were not very strong, and asked angrily, "Stop it! The priests of Eldas would not fight like this!"

She? She's just a believer, far from being a true priest!

"No, you can't do it?" The light in the priest's eyes almost disappeared, and they were as empty as a dead person. "No! You are too noisy! You must - leave!"

This was probably the last non-aggressive intention he could find in his remaining sanity: "It's so noisy! How can we ever find peace and quiet?"

"Bang bang bang bang-"

The young priest's voice rose eighty degrees, which seemed to have startled the church members who were "sleeping or meditating". On both sides of the crowd, doors were opened one after another, and dozens of male and female priests, dressed similarly to the young man, rushed out like a swarm of bees and rushed towards Leslough and others.

It was hard to imagine that this place had provided peace and tranquility just now, but now it was like a hell. All the priests were like zombies, unable to make any sound except for the roars of wild beasts.

"This morning's grumpiness is a bit too much!" Daisy hid behind the crowd in embarrassment. She didn't want to be strangled by these priests - but she also didn't want to use the thunder magic attached to the mater to hurt them. "Should we run now?"

"Let's go! Let's get out of here first!" Patrick, holding the scabbard in his hand, kept pulling aside the approaching priests of Eldath. "Restlaufer, they are being controlled. Don't harm their lives!"

"That's the harshest demand I've ever heard!" the mercenary roared back. He grabbed the nearest priest by the collar and threw him, knocking down several people. "They have no protective gear or weapons, only thin robes, and their bodies are so weak—I can kill them with just a slap!"

"You're right, but these are priests from Eldath!" Bella said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. She picked up stones from the ground and kept shooting at the priests' knees and ankles. "Normally, attacking priests from Eldath is not good, but we're really trapped now!"

It was not a good idea to fight or not to fight, and the only thing they could do was to retreat. However, when they reached the vicinity of the bush wall while fighting and retreating, the bushes that had been quite sensitive before were uncharacteristically silent and refused to open a gap.

"This is probably a safety mechanism," Rufo concluded after using magic to sense it. "It's a protection mechanism! To prevent these manipulated priests from leaving!"

"But we're trapped inside now!" Angelita knocked a priest down with the hilt of her sword and shouted helplessly, "Why don't we all climb over the wall like Uncle Raslaufer?"

"Are you serious?! I don't think they'll give me that chance!" Daisy tried to calm the angry priests with some music, but surprisingly, it didn't work. "How about going to that Mountain and Water Dome? Go to their temple! After all, their gods are enshrined there, right?!"

"I don't think these people have the rationality to think about this right now... but maybe what you said makes sense?" Vondar responded. The dwarf's shield was being pulled by countless hands. He let out a series of suppressed roars, and his strong body retreated step by step forward, causing the priests to retreat continuously until they fell to the ground.

"Now, hurry up!"

Although it was quite difficult to advance without killing anyone, fortunately, the physical fitness of the priests of Edas was not excellent. It took nearly an hour, and the priests rolled on the ground under the moonlight, and Leslaufer and others finally stepped onto the steps of the semicircular temple.

At the foot of the chalky steps, the priests who had been irrational just now stopped in their tracks and simply looked up at the people who were about to push the door and enter the building, neither urging them nor threatening them.

Leslaufer was the first to enter. A statue depicting a dark-haired woman in a green dress stood gracefully on the central altar. It was a sculpture of Eldath. On other occasions, her image would be slightly modified to resemble a tree spirit or wild elf with blue and green hair. Regardless, mortals facing her statue would be enveloped by a peaceful and tolerant feeling, becoming calm and tranquil.

But this time was clearly an exception. Everyone's gaze fell on the ground directly in front of the statue, where an old man in priestly robes sat cross-legged, leaning on a wooden staff. His head remained raised, gazing at the deity he worshipped. Roots extended from his exposed torso, burrowing into the cracks in the masonry. His soul had finally achieved complete peace—like a tree.

"Desipa," the Archdruid sighed at the end of the silence, "Now I have found you, old friend."

Chapter 146: Tranquility, or Not So

"He's dead." Vondar described the obvious scene.

"The question is, how did he die?" Angelita asked the inevitable question, "To escape the same fate as those people outside?"

For the priests, being manipulated and becoming puppets without their own thoughts is indeed worse than seeking death - at least if they choose the latter, they can return to the kingdom of the gods they serve.

"Perhaps so," Rufo murmured, "but he's Desipa, he should be able to do more."

Forty-six years ago, they had been close friends, exchanging letters for many years. The Archdruid knew his abilities. This old man should have been able to help more of his followers escape their controlled fate, whether alive or dead, but he chose to be alone and die within the temple.

While everyone was thinking about this, Leslaufer gave them another idea.

"Where is the artifact?" The mercenary walked back and forth in the temple. The building did not have any complicated structure, and it was easy to get an overview of the whole thing. There was not even a place to hide a secret room.

"That's just a rumor," the Archdruid explained patiently, "even I only heard it."