Chapter 98 - 96: Thorn Child
The Tree Shepherd recognized what it was seeing. The Dark Realm had contact with other worlds, so of course it could identify Secret Realm Weaving.
Although it couldn’t do it itself, it had seen a genuine Secret Realm once before.
Secret Realm Weaving had always been synonymous with profound magical arts.
Weavers combined strange and ever-changing Magic Power, profound wisdom, and formidable strength, allowing them to use their own might to create a force capable of altering the very world.
During a strange storm in the Dark Realm, it had been swept into the gaps between worlds. It nearly died in the terrifying, chaotic turbulence and clusters of barriers before good luck led it to a suddenly appearing weak point. It "took root" there and, narrowly escaping death, arrived in this world.
This was a completely unfamiliar world. When it used its Magic Power to interface with the world’s information, it found almost nothing but unknowns.
The Tree Shepherd recognized none of the animals or plants.
But this world was a pleasant surprise for the Tree Shepherd.
It was such a gentle, light-filled world—so beautiful, with such a pleasant climate. It was practically a paradise.
Besides the legendary Magson, only a very few worlds blessed by Medland’s Power of Order were like this.
For the first time in hundreds of years, the Tree Shepherd saw the magical moment of dawn, and for the first time, it saw a sunset so beautiful it was breathtaking.
After only half a month here, it had completely fallen in love with the place.
After cautiously getting through its initial observation period, it discovered another pleasant surprise: those bipedal, upright creatures with frail bodies but a disproportionately powerful Soul Essence.
Although they possessed considerable intelligence, they had no obvious fluctuations of Magic Power or even other types of power.
’If it was possible... if only I could!’
Ambition began to stir within the Tree Shepherd. This was the greatest opportunity of its life. If it could just seize it, in a safe, resource-rich world, to what heights could it grow in the future!
’This is an undeveloped, unfamiliar world brimming with wealth!’
For a time, this was the Tree Shepherd’s only thought.
Until!
Its moment of bliss was shattered just before dawn.
The native lifeforms it had once dismissed as harmless began to gather in massive numbers. It still couldn’t sense any fluctuations of power from them, yet its intuition screamed of danger.
And when it sensed an unfamiliar Magic Power, the feeling of crisis peaked.
The amount of Magic Power was small, but its nature was indiscernible. Like a venomous, unknown snake lying in wait, it made the Tree Shepherd afraid to act rashly.
As the morning sun began to rise, terrifyingly powerful bunker-buster missiles taught the Tree Shepherd the true meaning of being caught off guard.
These seemingly weak native lifeforms were nothing less than wolves in sheep’s clothing!
And it was surrounded!
In its panic, it used every means at its disposal to escape, not even having time to retrieve the bulk of its body.
It could recover lost power, but it only had one life.
But what it didn’t know was that the creatures of this world had a saying: "When it rains, it pours."
...
It stared blankly at its surroundings. Everything seemed normal, but it was no longer in the outside world.
It was dead silent, and it couldn’t perceive anything.
The Tree Shepherd was in a state of total collapse, its mental defenses shattered in a moment of desperation.
It had made such a basic mistake, plunging headfirst into a prepared trap!
The fully substantial Shadow of the Red Demoness was watching the Tree Shepherd, a smile seeming to play on its enchanting face.
It had heard of this kind of special existence within a Secret Realm.
That was the Shadow of the Secret Realm’s core, also known as a Secret Realm Spirit or a Secret Realm Guardian.
Its completely opaque, solid form was a testament to the incredible level this Secret Realm had achieved.
The Weavers were clearly very cautious; aside from deliberately using a scorching attack to distract it at the beginning, they had not revealed themselves.
A being with the power to weave such a perfect Secret Realm could, even without the realm’s aid, crush ten peak-strength Tree Shepherds.
No room for resistance, no chance of escape!
The Tree Shepherd’s branches went limp. Its charred black body, like a heap of rotting Thorns, stood withered in the Secret Realm, utterly bereft of the will to live.
Elsewhere, hidden within the Secret Realm, Doudou excitedly shook Qin Xiaoxia’s arm.
"HAHAHAHAHA!!! Cousin, we’ve struck it rich!!!"
Seeing Doudou acting like a complete maniac, Qin Xiaoxia, though puzzled, figured they must have stumbled upon something good.
He watched the pile of Thorns, which was completely still as if it had given up all resistance. "Straighten your tongue and talk. What do you mean ’struck it rich’?"
Doudou was dancing around wildly.
"Hahaha, Cousin, do you know what that is?! That’s a Tree Shepherd! And a rare one—a ’Thorn Child’! Hahahaha, we’re rich, we’re rich! My day has finally come!!"
Qin Xiaoxia’s mouth twitched and he raised an eyebrow, glaring at Doudou.
A chill ran down Doudou’s spine as it immediately realized it had gotten carried away.
"Ahem, uh, Cousin, let me give you the rundown..."
"Hmph!"
"Allow me to explain! Tree Shepherds are a special kind of Elf. They start out as a type of magical, natural plant. Over eons, they evolve. Under special circumstances—be it through artificial means or by accident—they awaken Magic Power and gain consciousness. You have to understand, the Soul Nature of most plants is far weaker than that of animals, so for one to awaken Magic Power is incredibly rare. What’s even rarer is that a small fraction of them can undergo ’Elfification.’ That’s the origin of the first Tree Shepherds..."
A hand grabbed Doudou by its large ear.
"Get to the point!"
Qin Xiaoxia wasn’t interested in a history lesson right now. He could learn about all that later when he had time.
Doudou flinched.
"The... the point is the special innate Magic Power that Tree Shepherds gain during Elfification!"
Qin Xiaoxia’s eyes lit up.
Come to think of it, Doudou was an "Elf" too. Although its Magic Power was incredibly weak, its Wish Ability was absolutely overpowered.
"So its Magic Power is related to cultivation or shepherding?"
’Doudou called it a Tree Shepherd, after all. Not a ’Tree Butcher’.’
"That’s right! I once saw a Tree Shepherd in Magson. The nature of their Magic Power is incredibly easy to identify—it’s filled with the aura of Medland. They usually carry all sorts of magical seeds and can cultivate a lot of interesting things."
"Like fruits that increase Perception and strengthen the body, the precious Flower of Life, and even dangerous but reliable Demon Vines. And that’s not all! As long as it’s a plant, they can slowly alter its traits, gradually developing and optimizing new magical flora. If we had it grow delicious corn, I wouldn’t have to steal... I mean, buy it anymore!"
Listening to Doudou’s description, Qin Xiaoxia’s eyes started spinning like a slot machine. All that was missing were a few dollar signs.
"And it’s a Thorn Child! Um, basically, that’s what they call the Tree Shepherds covered in thorns. They’re much rarer, and their magical properties are superior. Their sap is a treasure, like a panacea-like Spirit Medicine. Whether you use it as a Moldable Material or for anything else, it’s absolutely top-class."
Doudou also mentioned a rumor popular in Magson, one with no "scientific basis."
The rumor goes that "Thorn Children" are generally quite timid. The reasoning is simple: why don’t other Tree Shepherds grow thorns while you do? It must be because you have a strong sense of self-preservation—in other words, you’re a coward!
This rumor completely ignored the possibility that they might have simply evolved from a thorny plant ages ago.
But in Qin Xiaoxia’s opinion, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Every rumor has some basis in fact.
...
The Tree Shepherd was now in a predicament—unwilling to accept its fate, yet helpless to do anything but close its eyes and wait for death.
’When captured by a being like a Secret Realm Weaver, what other outcome could there be besides being ’juiced’?’
’Well, they might keep it for ’sustainable juicing.’ Gods, a quick death by my own hand would be better!’
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