69: Tree Man

After Randall finished reciting the laws, I paused slightly, allowing the echoes of the laws to resonate in everyone's hearts.

Then, I turned my gaze to John and George, asking in a serious tone, "John, George, as Black Panther Fortress's people, do you two recognize and agree to abide by these three laws?"

John and George quickly nodded respectfully in affirmation.

I nodded and continued, "I also want to commend John and George for their heroic performance; they displayed fearless courage and unwavering conviction during this crisis. Therefore, Randall, I suggest you take them both as your Paladin Squires, to cultivate reserve strength for our Black Panther Fortress."

Upon hearing my words, John and George's eyes immediately sparkled with excitement. They exchanged a smile, then simultaneously looked at Randall, their eyes full of anticipation.

Randall smiled at them, nodded, and said, "Your recent performance has indeed been increasingly outstanding, and you have completely redeemed your past mistakes. I am very happy to see you grow to this extent and am willing to give you this opportunity to become my Paladin Squires and continue to fight for our Lord and Black Panther Fortress."

John and George were so excited they almost jumped when they heard Randall's acceptance.

They excitedly clasped each other's hands, then together bowed deeply to Randall and me, expressing their gratitude and respect.

Once everyone quieted down, I announced, "Partners, we have reaped a rich harvest from this adventure. Now, it's time to distribute these spoils."

The moment my words fell, everyone immediately perked up, gathering around, their eyes sparkling with anticipation.

From the backpack I obtained from the Phase Spider's cave, I took out item after item of spoils: shining gold coins and gems, precious potions and scrolls, spellcasting materials, a few books, an empty metal box, a backpack, and a few pieces of clothing.

Fiona and Lilian identified several bottles of potions of various colors.

They were: 3 Healing Potions, 1 Potion of Focus, 2 Potions of Freedom, and 2 Antidotes.

I distributed 1 Healing Potion each to Randall, Fiona, and Lilian; and 1 Potion of Freedom each to Randall and Fiona.

From a small pile of gems, Lilian only chose a crystal-clear diamond; Fiona chose two pine-green gems.

The empty metal box was chosen by Lilian.

The backpack and a few pieces of clothing were chosen by John and George, as those clothes only fit their figures.

The remaining scrolls, spellcasting materials, and books were all left to me, the sole mage.

Fiona and Lilian did not want any of the more than 100 gold coins, leaving them all to us.

I put the gold coins and remaining gems into my system space; a portion of them belonged to Randall, John, and George, but they found them too heavy and asked me to keep them for now.

Everyone's eyes sparkled with excitement and satisfaction. Of course, I was quite satisfied as well.

After a thrilling night of adventure, we could finally rest for a while.

In the center of the camp, I set up a simple wooden table and filled it with a hearty breakfast.

There were golden-fried bird eggs, golden-roasted beast meat, sweet and juicy fruits, paired with tender green wild vegetables; and a large pot of steaming hot Snow Tea, its aroma wafting, making one's mouth water.

Everyone sat around the campfire, their faces beaming with contentment and joy, and began to enjoy the steaming hot delicacies.

Black Little Leopard and the Wild Dogs also enjoyed the fresh meat I prepared for them.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the tent, bringing a touch of warmth to the cold morning.

We each found a tent and fell into a deep sleep, not waking again until noon.

For the rest of our journey, we would continue to head northeast.

As for the winding small river to the south, its upstream was nearby and began to extend southeast.

Lilian stood before us, her eyes reflecting reluctance, but more so, hope for the future.

She gently embraced each of us, her warm embrace like a spring breeze.

"When you return, I'll visit your territory!" Lilian's voice was gentle and full of anticipation.

Fiona, meanwhile, accompanied us for a further distance eastward.

Upon entering a quiet clearing, Fiona suddenly stopped. She asked me to take out the magic wooden whistle.

"Blow it," she said softly, "Ondom will hear your summons."

I took out the wooden whistle, took a deep breath, and blew hard.

However, the wooden whistle made no sound; it simply lay silently in my hand.

Seeing this, Fiona nodded, indicating I was done, and told us to wait quietly.

After a while, I faintly heard a "thump-thump..." sound from afar, a deep and powerful sound, as if something massive was approaching.

"Tree Person Angdem has arrived," Fiona said softly, reassuring our possibly nervous emotions, her voice filled with respect and joy.

Indeed, soon after, a gigantic Tree Person emerged from behind the dense forest.

It stood majestically like a walking tree, its branches and leaves dense like a canopy.

Two long legs, over a meter thick and resembling tree trunks, appeared before us, taking immense strides.

We gazed quietly at Ondom, our hearts filled with awe, curiosity, and wonder.

Black Little Leopard and the Wild Dogs, however, were so scared they hid behind me, not daring to make a sound. Dragon King flew back to my side, circling above my shoulder.

"This is Ondom, the forest's sage," Fiona announced loudly, her words full of respect and anticipation, as if she were introducing a highly esteemed elder to us.

"Ondom! These are my friends, Ryan, Randall, John, and George!" she continued.

I stepped forward, looking up at the gigantic Tree Person, and shouted, "Greetings, esteemed Ondom!" My voice echoed through the forest.

Randall and the others also performed a gentleman's bow behind me.

The Tree Person lowered its giant-tree-like body, its lantern-sized eyes scrutinizing us.

It sniffed gently with its nose, then slowly opened its mouth and said, "Hello... you... Fiona's... friends... Hoo... rulu..." Its voice was deep and slow.

I couldn't help but smile; this huge Tree Person friend spoke so slowly, as if savoring the meaning of each word.

Fiona continued to say loudly, "Ondom, my friends want to pass through your territory to the Wan'an Highway to the northeast. Will you take them there?"

However, the Tree Person did not answer immediately.

A gust of wind blew, and the leaves on its head and shoulders rustled.

Fiona and I exchanged glances; I read her meaning from her eyes.

I quickly took out two seeds from my system space. These two seeds looked ordinary, with nothing special about them.

But the moment I took them out, the Tree Person suddenly changed.

These two seeds were an item I had found earlier in a package from the Phase Spider's cave, from a material bag, that wasn't strictly a material.

After identifying them, Fiona told me they were Tree Person seeds, but they had been sealed by magic, neither dead nor alive, existing in a strange state.

She told me to keep these two seeds safe, saying they might come in handy someday.

She must have been referring to this very moment.

Tree Person Angdem suddenly let out a huge wail, a sound like an ancient call, full of sorrow.

The strong wind it exhaled stirred up countless snowflakes from the ground, sweeping over us like a violent storm, making our clothes flap loudly.

"Thief..." the Tree Person roared.