439: Chapter 425 Forest of Spirits

The Saul Continent was covered in empires, but due to the constraints of the Church's prohibition, there was little conflict between them.

In theory, with no territorial aggression, the empires should have coexisted harmoniously, or at least without national-level hostility.

However, grudges were ultimately impossible to suppress. For various reasons, quite a few empires had become mortal enemies.

Before the prohibition was lifted, it was difficult for nations to launch large-scale wars. They could only engage in small-scale skirmishes between Professionals in the wild, resulting in mutual casualties.

Although the empires didn't care much about these minor losses of personnel, the accumulated resentment gradually deepened. Communication was completely severed across all levels, from the common citizens to the royal families.

The citizens and Professionals of hostile nations naturally didn't dare enter each other's borders—while they wouldn't be ambushed inside cities, the problem was that an empire's territory didn't consist solely of cities; there was also the wild.

Under this "international" situation, it was basically impossible for an individual to travel across every inch of the continent, so the Saul Continent had no "World Map."

The "World" maps produced by various royal families were not only severely incomplete but also more or less contained blank areas marked only with country names, indicating total ignorance of those lands.

The only difference was likely the varying locations of these blank regions on each nation's map.

To this end, Zhang Mu had truly exhausted many brain cells while trying to determine the Elf Clan's location on the continent.

In the end, having no other choice, he purchased a large number of maps from different nations in the cities he passed through. By comparing them and barely piecing together a usable "World Map," he finally clarified the exact location of the Forest of Spirits.

Zhang Mu was currently located in the heart of the former Allied Forces' territory, now the border of Lake. He wasn't sure of the exact distance to the Forest of Spirits.

Maps of the Saul Continent were not drawn to a fixed scale, making it impossible to calculate using algorithms.

He only knew it was very far. Traveling in a straight line would require crossing several empires and over twenty kingdoms.

Assuming he flew at full speed without stopping, based on Zhang Mu's speed, it would take at least three months.

No matter how far, he had to go. He set out once again.

In reality, if an ordinary Professional were traveling from Lake to the Forest of Spirits, it wouldn't take nearly as long.

By using the long-distance teleportation arrays of various nations, one could arrive at the destination in about ten days. Unfortunately, with Zhang Mu's status as a "wanted criminal," he couldn't enter any nation outside of Lake at all. His only option was to fly.

This flight lasted for three months.

He crossed several high-tier kingdoms and green mountains stretching ten thousand miles, passed through the Gangnuo Empire, looked down upon the thousand-mile marshlands behind it, and then followed the river upstream. After traversing over a dozen kingdoms and empires of varying ranks, he finally reached the city closest to the Forest of Spirits.

Zhang Mu had been taking potions to replenish his mana throughout the journey, so his physical stamina was not lacking, but his mental exhaustion could not be restored by external means.

Taking a slight breath, he hovered high in the air, looking down at the city on the ground.

"Whew—I'll rest for a night before entering the forest.

It's a good chance to gather some intelligence. This is the only city on the outskirts of the Forest of Spirits, so all living supplies must be purchased here. The city's residents should know a fair bit about the Elves."

He landed in a small alley and walked out after dispelling his Shadow Technique.

It was noon, and the fierce sun hung high. The vendors lining the streets found the scorching heat hard to bear, yet they were reluctant to pack up their stalls. Some placed wooden boards on their heads for shade, while those in better conditions used beast-hide umbrellas.

In truth, their persistence didn't help their income. Pedestrians on the street were sparse and hurried, clearly anxious to return to their homes to escape the sun that could evaporate a person dry.

Zhang Mu looked left and right, feeling that the customs and daily habits here were roughly similar to those in Lake, aside from the style of clothing.

After pondering for a moment on where the best place to gather intelligence might be, he feigned being a traveler visiting the area. He walked up to a stall and crouched down, scanning the various pottery jars on the thick cloth while chatting with the stall owner.

After chatting for a bit and feeling the atmosphere was right, Zhang Mu generously bought three pottery jars and then asked the owner about the Forest of Spirits.

"The Elves' residence? Is the guest going there for a visit?" the owner said while handing back change for the silver coin Zhang Mu had offered.

"Are outsiders not allowed to go?"

"You can go." Having finished giving change and seeing that no business would be coming for a while, the owner simply sat on the ground to chat. "Anyone can enter the Forest of Spirits. I've been there myself."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, a type of herbal medicine grows in the forest that has miraculous effects on external wounds.

Although using too much has its downsides, we can't afford the price of potions. When we're injured, we still have to go into the forest to pick... Ah, sorry, I've strayed too far."

Scratching his head awkwardly, the owner brought the topic back on track: "Guests can go to the Forest of Spirits for a visit, but only on the outskirts. The depths of the forest are off-limits.

And the outskirts are no different from any other forest on the continent—just trees, grass, streams, and such."

"What would happen if someone went in?"

"Don't ever do that. The Elves will kill people."

"So domineering?"

"Well, that is the Elves' home, after all—bestowed by the Gods."

Zhang Mu raised an eyebrow. "Bestowed by the Gods?"

"Everyone in Boni City knows that."

Zhang Mu looked thoughtful and asked after a moment, "By the way, you mentioned a herb in the forest that heals external wounds. What's it called? What does it look like?"

"Are you injured?" The owner looked him up and down.

"I'm not injured. I'm just interested in herbs; it's a personal hobby."

"Is that so?" He nodded in realization and then said, "Regrettably, guest, that herb has gone extinct."

"Extinct? What do you mean?"

"It's just gone." The owner's expression became troubled as he sighed. "It was about a year ago, when the Elf Clan went on an expedition to Lake."

They gathered many Elf warriors; it took a whole day for them all to march out of the forest.

The people of Boni City were worried about being caught in the crossfire, so not a single person entered the forest that day. Once the Elves were far away, we went back in and found that the jela flowers had all disappeared."

Zhang Mu guessed, "Could the Elves have picked them all along the way?"

The owner waved his hand. "Impossible.

jela flowers grow exceptionally fast. Once the flowers are picked, they bloom again in just a few days. They were everywhere; you'd run into them every few steps.

Besides, the healing effect of jela flowers is quite average. A Lord Professional like yourself probably wouldn't have any use for them, right?"

Zhang Mu lowered his head, deep in thought, while the owner continued talking to himself.

"I don't know the reason, but anyway, from that day on, jela flowers completely bid farewell to the people of Boni."

His expression turned bitter: "Because of this, if we accidentally get injured now, we can only go to the Church and ask the Divine Officials to heal us.

Gods above, those bastards are even greedier than the City Lord! They charge one silver coin per treatment!

Damn it, it's all the Elves' fault!"

Zhang Mu snapped out of it and asked in confusion, "What does it have to do with the Elves?"

The owner looked around. Seeing no one nearby, he leaned his head closer and said with a mysterious face, "It's said that the Elf Clan offended the Gods and was struck with divine punishment.

The bizarre extinction of the jela flower is proof!"

Zhang Mu, who had been listening intently, felt his face darken. What a load of nonsense.

Setting aside why the Elves would be bored enough to offend a God, if a God really wanted to punish the Elves, they would just wipe out the race. Why eliminate the jela flowers, which the Elves have no use for?

It wouldn't even serve as a warning.

Seeing Zhang Mu's dissatisfied expression, the owner guessed he didn't believe it. He immediately puffed out his chest and raised his voice slightly: "Guest, you just wait and see. Before long, the Elves will surely suffer a terrifying calamity!"

"Right, right, right. I'll definitely be there that day."

Zhang Mu stood up, responding perfunctorily.

Well, it seemed the city folk only knew this much. He wouldn't get anything more out of them. He'd have to go to a tavern where Professionals hung out to gather information.

He patted his backside and turned to leave, but after one step, he turned back: "Where are the taverns in Boni City?"

"Over there. Go straight and cross five intersections, and you'll be there." The owner pointed his index finger to the right.

"Thanks."

A gold coin traced an arc in the air, spinning, and landed precisely in the owner's jacket pocket.

"No need—" The owner didn't realize what the object reflecting the sunlight was. His right hand instinctively reached into his pocket, and the moment his fingertips touched the cold metal, he froze.

He held open the pocket and took a look; a gold coin lay quietly at the bottom.

He feigned that nothing had happened, slowly withdrew his hand, and peeked at the surrounding vendors from the corner of his eye.

It seemed to be Zhang Mu's doing; no one noticed a gold coin falling into his pocket. Everyone was enduring the fierce sun, their heads hanging low in lethargy.

"It's too hot. Looks like no one else is coming today. I'm going home," the owner muttered in a low voice, just loud enough for the neighboring vendors to hear.

"Hahaha, if you leave now, you won't get a share of the evening customers."

"Can't stand this weather." The owner grabbed the two sides of the thick cloth to bundle up his jars and pots, then stood up and walked toward home. As he got further from the crowd, his pace quickened, until he was finally running.

On this side, Zhang Mu walked forward with his hands behind his back. Only after his Mental Energy sensed the man had reached home with no one following him did he withdraw it.

"Did I give too much? Look at how scared he was, running so fast that more than half the jars in his bundle probably smashed together." Zhang Mu scratched his cheek. "I only have gold coins left on me."

Talking to himself, he made his way to a tavern.

It was daytime, and the tavern doors were tightly shut. Zhang Mu peered through the crack in the door; the hall was empty, and wooden chairs were upturned on the tables.

When does it open?

Zhang Mu stepped back a few paces, looked around, and stopped a passerby who happened to be walking past.

"Let go!" The passerby was startled and struggled in panic.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Uh, I'm a traveler." Zhang Mu held on, afraid the person would run off.

The two of them tugged and pulled for over ten seconds. The passerby couldn't break free from the hand gripping his arm, and seeing that Zhang Mu truly had no intention of harming him, he reluctantly calmed down.

"Could you please let go of me first?"

Zhang Mu let go, and the passerby's expression softened. "Do you have business with me?

Before you answer, I want to remind you not to touch others' bodies so casually. If I were a Lord Professional, you would already be dead."

"Right, right, I got it," Zhang Mu said patiently, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. "What time does the tavern open? Are there any taverns in Boni City that open during the day?"

The passerby glanced sideways at the tavern. "All taverns in Boni City open after seven in the evening."

"Uh, really?"

"Is there any need for me to lie to you?"

The passerby gave him a sidelong glance after speaking, seemingly indignant at being questioned.

After weighing it for a few seconds, he remembered that he hadn't been able to break free from the hand gripping his arm earlier. He abandoned the urge to teach Zhang Mu a lesson and turned to leave.

Once he was far away, Zhang Mu's keen hearing picked up a stream of grumbled curses.

"Consider this my thanks."

Zhang Mu chuckled and sat down on the steps in front of the tavern, closing his eyes to wait for seven o'clock.

Time passed slowly, the sun set, and dusk arrived.

As the scorching heat in the air gradually dissipated, the city's residents emerged from their homes, and the pedestrians on the street increased.

The tavern was located in a bustling area and soon became crowded. Curious gazes fell upon Zhang Mu sitting on the steps, with people wondering which family's drunkard this was, waiting in front of the tavern as soon as night fell.

Zhang Mu didn't mind the scrutinizing gazes. He waited until the tavern owner opened the door from the inside, then stood up and walked in.

The owner's expression showed visible astonishment when someone entered just as the door opened, but it only lasted for a brief moment—there were many alcoholics, and while it was his first time seeing someone waiting outside before opening, it wasn't worth being too surprised over.

Having seemingly just started their shift, a waiter emerged from the breakroom, adjusting their cuffs and collar while walking quickly over to attend to Zhang Mu.

Zhang Mu didn't want to attract attention, so he only ordered a mid-priced drink and sat in a corner to savor it. After finishing one glass, he immediately signaled the waiter for another.

By the time the waiter brought the third glass from the bar, a second customer had pushed open the door, followed by a steady stream of patrons. The hall was soon full.

Zhang Mu picked up his glass, his eyes fixed on the beautiful female bartender behind the counter as if admiring a pretty girl, but in reality, his attention was entirely on the idle chatter of the patrons.

The patrons had just met up, and their topics centered on their experiences during the day—boasting about what magic beasts they had hunted in the wild or what troublesome things they had encountered.

They didn't seem to be paying any attention to the Elves.

Zhang Mu was in no hurry. Gossiping about tidbits of news was human nature, let alone rumors involving Elves. Once they finished talking about the day's events, they would naturally move on to the Elves.

The development of events afterward was exactly as he expected.

Half an hour later, it was unclear who started it, but everyone began whispering about the strange events that had recently occurred in the Forest of Spirits.

Regarding the bizarre disappearance of the jela flowers, the patrons had diverse opinions and were engaged in heated discussion.

Some felt the Elf Clan had been punished by the Gods because their crusade against Lake was ineffective. Others believed the Elf Clan intended to return to the center of the continent, and the Gods had stepped in to restrain them, along with various other strange guesses.

Although the directions of the guesses were different and far apart, one point was entirely consistent—everyone was certain that the Gods had confiscated the jela flowers, rather than it being the work of some magic beast or monster.

When he heard the stall owner say at noon that the Gods were punishing the Elves, Zhang Mu hadn't believed it at all.

However, with the people of Boni City—the city closest to the Elves—being so unified in their account, he couldn't help but wonder: could it actually be true?

Of course, Zhang Mu wouldn't easily believe folk rumors; they had to be verified.

The crystal glass was empty, so Zhang Mu ordered another.

The waitress walked over with a slight sway of her graceful hips, set down the glass, took the copper coin, and turned back to the bar.

Zhang Mu reached for the glass, his Mental Energy continuing to monitor the patrons in the hall.

"Oh, generous gentleman, surely you won't refuse to buy me a drink, will you?"