Crossing the Border Wall

Flora, who had been standing to the side, stole a timid glance in the direction the Leaf-Cutter Squad had departed and explained softly:

“Mr... since Moen and Xia Duo have vouched for you, I will believe you mean no harm. But recent events have forced us to be cautious... Sigh, let’s get moving. I’ll explain everything to you on the way.”

With that, she turned and led the four of them back toward the path she had come from.

After weaving through the dense jungle for a while, the five of them arrived before a very peculiar grove of trees.

Starlight curiously observed the dense thicket that stretched endlessly to both the left and right. Rather than a forest, it looked more like a wall that had no end.

The gaps between the trees were so tight they could only be described as airtight. Coupled with their height of over ten meters, they were easily comparable to the sturdy stone walls surrounding the Violet City-State.

“We’re here,” Flora called out to the four of them. She walked straight toward the tree wall and gently placed her hand on the brown trunk before her. “Wait a moment while I open the Tree Gate.”

To the astonishment of Starlight and Po Kong, the tree wall before them began to twist and contract in a wondrous fashion. Eventually, it parted to create a passage several meters wide, as if someone were throwing open a massive door for them.

“Is this thing really a tree?”

As the group followed Flora into the passage, Po Kong curiously tapped the retracted wood with his knuckles. To his surprise, it let out a crisp sound, feeling as though he were knocking on hard metal.

Meanwhile, Starlight swept his mana perception over the strange trees. He was surprised to find their interiors overflowing with flowing elements, yet there was absolutely no trace of magic formations or similar structures.

“Don’t doubt it; they are all extensions of the World Tree’s root system, specialized for defense.”

Noticing their confusion, Moen began to explain in a gentle voice.

The elves’ homeland, the Star-Song Forest, was essentially a sub-continent of the Leon Continent.

Although its total area was vast enough to rival several large city-states combined, its connection to the main body of the Leon Continent was limited to this narrow strip of land, spanning several hundred kilometers. The rest was surrounded by the vast ocean.

Thanks to the natural barrier of the sea, the elves only needed to concentrate their primary defensive forces on this land-connected region to face potential external threats.

However, this thousand-kilometer border was not easy to guard for the elves, whose population was nowhere near as massive as that of humans. Thus, the elven ancestors of the primordial era devised a solution.

They skillfully guided the massive root system of the World Tree to the border line and used the powerful force of nature magic to construct an indestructible Border Wall spanning thousands of miles.

This wall acted as a natural shield, isolating the elven home from the outside world, leaving only specific locations as entrances for trade and communication.

“Normally, this should be a standard entrance, but now it’s been completely sealed by magic. Is it the same everywhere else? This is usually only done during wartime!”

Not only Starlight and Po Kong, but even Xia Duo was confused by this.

The Divine Concealment Squads patrolling outside the walls and the completely sealed Border Wall—which only happened during war—all pointed toward the severity of the situation.

“Yes, I was temporarily reassigned here specifically to handle the maintenance of this section of the Border Wall. Anyway... welcome to our home, the Star-Song Forest.”

As she spoke, they stepped through the wall formed by the World Tree’s roots and reached the other side.

The passage felt like crossing a boundary of time and space, as the scenery before them suddenly opened up.

They were currently standing on a small hillside. Looking out into the distance, every corner was overflowing with vibrant life. Countless tall, stately trees reached toward the sky, their dense foliage interlacing to form emerald-green domes.

The air was filled with a fresh, invigorating scent. Starlight took a deep breath, clearly sensing the various active elements contained within.

Unlike the elements at the Central Spiritual Arts Academy, which were forcibly gathered by magic formations, the elements here seemed to have lives of their own as they drifted through the air.

The elements here seemed alive, wandering freely through the air like stars, flickering with points of light and draping the land in a dreamlike filter.

“So this is the real Star-Song Forest! ...It’s beautiful!” Starlight looked up at the flowing, colorful lights overhead and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Xia Duo gazed at the long-missed scenery with a bright smile. She said softly, “Once we get near the World Tree, you’ll truly be amazed! Though, after living here for a long time, it doesn't feel like anything special anymore.”

“Peeeeeep!”

Meanwhile, their guide, Flora, pulled a small whistle from her collar and blew it hard.

Following the strange whistle, a massive silhouette soared from the distant tree canopy, arriving at their hillside in an instant.

It was a giant, pure white eagle with a wingspan of over ten meters. The mere flapping of its wings in the air created small whirlwinds nearby.

Starlight noticed an oversized basket woven from green vines hanging beneath its feet, looking large enough to accommodate several people.

“Let’s go! This is an aerial service you can only enjoy in the Star-Song Forest!”

Moen turned and smiled at Starlight before being the first to hop into the basket.

Led by Flora, the group boarded the basket suspended beneath the eagle’s talons. At Flora’s command, the giant eagle spread its wide wings and carried them soaring toward the south.

During the flight, Starlight learned from Moen that because the Star-Song Forest was vast and sparsely populated, they often used various monstrous beasts as transportation.

It was somewhat similar to the horse-drawn carriages they had used before, but unlike the human method of domesticating Bicorns, the elves preferred to establish equal relationships with the beasts.

Take this Snow-Winged Eagle carrying them now; it shared an Equality Agreement with Flora.

Under the effects of the Equality Agreement, the long lifespan of the elf greatly enhanced the Snow-Winged Eagle’s vitality, while the eagle became a capable assistant for Flora’s travels, significantly boosting her senses in certain ways.

“So, what exactly was going on with that group of people outside? And what is this ‘Leaf-Cutter’ anyway?”

Po Kong didn't care much for the finer details of beast taming. Instead, he was still brooding over the earlier confrontation. Once the bird’s flight stabilized, he finally couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked.

Since the group had successfully entered the heart of the Star-Song Forest, there was no longer any need to hide this information. Thus, Flora and Xia Duo began to patiently explain the sequence of events to Po Kong.