69: Chapter 69 The Second Daughter is Coming? The Tree Spirit Guards the Home and Protects the Defender

On the third day of the Harvest Festival, Luofeng Village remained scorching hot.

White light flashed incessantly at the village entrance teleportation array. People crowded the trade routes, herb-gathering spots, mob-grinding areas, and dungeon entrances—all players with bloodshot eyes focused on making money.

But just as Lin Zhe leaned back against a maple tree, a system notification suddenly exploded in his mind.

"Ding!"

"Detected that the gestation progress of your second daughter, Lin Yueyao, has reached a key milestone!"

"Current Progress: 40%!"

"Current Grade: Rare Peak!"

"Offspring Feedback activated!"

"Congratulations to the host for unlocking a new authority: Nature Summoning!"

Golden patterns flashed in Lin Zhe's eyes as he directly opened his panel.

[Nature Summoning: Can summon plant-type guards in areas with rich natural energy.]

[Current summonable target: Treant]

[Grade: Level 15 Elite]

[Traits: Auto-patrol, Malice Recognition, Prioritize Attacking Intruders]

[Current Applicable Areas: Luofeng Village and surrounding naturally covered zones]

Another new authority.

And it arrived exactly when it was needed most.

The Harvest Festival had been too intense these past few days.

There were too many players.

The Elven Caravans, Imperial Caravans, public warehouses, herb areas, and secret realm entrances were all piled high with resources.

The Abyss had been beaten back so many times; they couldn't possibly have truly given up.

Lin Zhe looked up toward the Red Maple Forest in the west of the village.

Ling Xi was helping several lifestyle players identify herbs. Sensing a change in Lin Zhe's aura, she immediately turned around.

"Has there been another change?"

Xing Jianwan also looked over.

Lin Chen, lying in Lin Zhe's arms, his little face lit up.

"Did Little Sister send Daddy something again?"

The corner of Lin Zhe's mouth curled slightly.

"Something like that."

As he spoke, he directly raised his hand.

"Let's try it."

Buzz—

Within the pale-gold light patterns of law, a large expanse of soft green light instantly swirled out.

That green light was like a tide, surging along the ground all the way to the Red Maple Forest in the west.

The next second, the entire forest shook violently!

Rustle, rustle!

Countless maple leaves shook frantically.

The ground bulged.

Roots twisted and turned.

Beneath the thick, ancient trees, huge fissures began to crack open!

The players gathering herbs nearby were all dumbfounded.

"Holy crap! Is it an earthquake?"

"Why is the Red Maple Forest moving!"

"Look under the trees!"

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Accompanied by a series of muffled booms, treants over two people tall forced their way out from underground!

They were dark brown all over, looking like a mix of ancient wood and rock. Their arms were as thick as logs, and vines and maple leaves were wrapped around their shoulders. Pale green light points glowed in each eye socket, and their aura was intimidatingly heavy.

One.

Ten.

Thirty.

Fifty.

Finally, a full hundred treants stood densely packed outside the Red Maple Forest!

In mid-air, rows of information surfaced.

[Treant Guard]

[Level: 15]

[Grade: Elite]

The entire area went silent for a second.

The next second, the crowd erupted.

"Elite Treants?!"

"Over a hundred of them?"

"Did Big Shot Lin create this too?"

Ling Xi's eyes lit up.

"Nature Summoning..."

She could feel that these treants all carried pure laws of nature.

They weren't ordinary summons.

They were guards recognized by this land.

Lin Chen was already happily clapping his small hands.

"So big! So strong!"

Lin Zhe's gaze swept across them as he directly issued an order.

"From today on, patrol the borders of Luofeng Village, Fengyu Village, and Shiti Village."

"Any outsider approaching with malice is to be taken down directly."

"Prioritize the protection of the Elven Caravans, player caravans, herb-gathering areas, and the outer perimeter of dungeons."

Swish!

A hundred treants lowered their heads simultaneously.

The movement was terrifyingly synchronized.

The next second, they rumbled and dispersed, splitting into over a dozen teams to begin auto-patrolling along the forest lands outside the villages, the edges of trade routes, the herb area perimeters, and the borders of the three villages.

With every step they took, the ground shook slightly.

The surrounding players felt their scalps tingle, followed by faces full of wild joy.

"The sense of security is maxed out!"

"The borders really have become our own backyard now!"

"Let those bastards from the Abyss try coming again!"

The world channel also exploded.

"Treant Guards have spawned at the Luofeng Village borders!"

"Over a hundred Level 15 Elite Treants are patrolling!"

"Just how many trump cards does that NPC family have?"

Lin Zhe said no more, only glancing at the system panel.

[Current Gestation Progress: 41%]

Lin Yueyao's progress was still rising.

And this increase was already starting to transform into visible defensive power.

That night.

The bustle of the Harvest Festival finally subsided slightly.

Most players had logged off to rest, while a few night owls were still gathering herbs and grinding mobs.

The borders of the Third Beginner District were much quieter than during the day.

But Lin Zhe did not sleep.

He leaned against the maple tree, the golden patterns in his eyes flowing calmly.

As expected.

Not long after midnight, dozens of cold auras crept toward the northwestern border again.

Abyssal Shadow Hunters.

And this time, they were even more cautious than before.

They bypassed the trade routes.

They bypassed the teleportation arrays.

Their target was the Elven Caravan's temporary storage point.

"Move fast."

"Steal it and leave."

"Don't alert the laws in the village."

The leading Shadow Hunter suppressed his voice, leading over thirty dark shadows as they crept into the outskirts of the Red Maple Forest.

They thought they were being stealthy enough.

But as soon as their feet stepped onto the border grass.

In the darkness ahead, pairs of pale green eyes suddenly lit up.

One pair.

Ten pairs.

Dozens of pairs!

"What is that?!"

The leader's expression changed drastically.

Before he could even retreat.

Boom!

A treant over two people tall had already charged out from the forest shadows, its massive wooden arm smashing down like a sledgehammer!

Thump!

The first Shadow Hunter was sent flying, his health bar nearly emptied instantly.

"Enemy attack!"

"Disperse, quickly!"

He had just finished shouting.

From all directions, the air was filled with rumbling footsteps.

The treants were coming!

One team.

Two teams.

Five teams!

Densely packed Treant Guards surrounded them from the woods and bushes, blocking these thirty-plus Shadow Hunters completely.

"Run!"

Someone tried to use Stealth.

But vines coiled up from beneath the treant's feet, entangling their legs on the spot.

Someone tried to leap into the trees to escape.

Resultingly, before they could even jump, they were swatted back to the ground by another treant's arm.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Wooden arms swept across.

Roots entangled.

Vines whipped faces.

The thirty-plus Shadow Hunters hadn't even touched the village gate before they were pinned down outside the border and pummeled by a group of Level 15 Elite Treants.

"Argh—!"

"Help!"

"Something's wrong, these tree monsters know how to coordinate!"

"Stop hitting! Stop hitting!"

Three minutes.

Not even three minutes had passed.

White light flashed in a continuous line outside the border.

All thirty-plus Abyssal Shadow Hunters were wiped out!

A pile of dark materials and black cloak fragments dropped on the ground.

A treant looked down at the loot, then as if nothing had happened, turned around with its team to resume patrolling.

The whole process was incredibly efficient.

The next morning.

Players gathering herbs near the border were the first to notice something was off.

"Wait, why are there treants wandering over there?"

"They weren't there last night!"

"Don't panic, they're on our side!"

Soon, the news spread throughout the three villages.

Players ran to the border to look and were all ecstatic.

Teams of Treant Guards were walking back and forth along the herb areas, forest perimeters, and trade route edges.

Some players tried to get close, but the treants didn't even spare them a glance.

However, when a black wolf accidentally wandered in and pounced with hostility, the nearest treant backhanded it, slamming it directly into the dirt.

"It's secure!"

"It's completely secure now!"

"We don't have to worry about being ambushed while gathering herbs at night anymore!"

"The patrol teams can relax by half!"

Because the treants had taken over most of the border defense, players no longer needed to split their attention to watch for Abyssal ambushes.

Herb gatherers focused on gathering herbs.

Mob grinders focused on grinding mobs.

Merchants also dared to move at full speed.

In less than half a day, the overall efficiency of the three Beginner Districts had clearly risen.

Someone compiled the statistics and posted a picture on the world channel.

"After the Treant Guards went online, the combined efficiency of mob grinding, herb gathering, and trading in the three villages has increased by thirty percent!"

"The sense of security is maxed out!"

The world channel exploded once more.

"What's the point of the Abyss even trying to sneak in!"

"That NPC family has even automated home defense now!"

"The second daughter hasn't even been born yet, and the benefits and authorities are already exploding?"

On the earthen slope, Lin Zhe watched the treants patrolling back and forth outside the border, then glanced at the system panel.

[Current Gestation Progress: 43%]

Lin Yueyao was still growing.

And the defensive line of the Novice Area was also a notch tougher than yesterday.

Just then, deeper within the Red Maple Forest, a treant suddenly stopped in its tracks, slowly turning its head to look toward the darkness further beyond the woods.