"Begin."
The Green Vine Guards moved simultaneously.
The guards picked up the bone-white foundation stones and walked toward the edges of the space.
Following the positions marked on the blueprints, they embedded the stones one by one into the floor, walls, and ceiling.
Vines extended from their bodies, coiling around the stones to adjust their angles before settling them firmly into the pre-carved grooves.
Ethan stood in the center, his mental power divided as he monitored every team of guards.
If a guard placed a stone in the wrong spot, if a runic plate didn't fit tightly, or if a component was assembled backward, he sensed it immediately and corrected it on the spot.
The skeleton of the Wizard Towers took shape at a pace visible to the naked eye.
The base of the teleportation array spread out just as quickly.
Bone-white stone slabs were laid out in a circular foundation, dark silver runic plates were inlaid within them, and the energy core was placed at the formation's eye.
Vines anchored the foundation firmly to the ground, while Wizard's Hand pressed the final few runic plates into their designated positions.
Two months later, as the final energy core at the peak of the last Wizard Tower was slotted into its groove, the entire underground space shuddered slightly.
All five Wizard Towers lit up simultaneously.
Light radiated from the runic patterns on the tower walls, bathing the entire space in silver.
The base of the teleportation array also glowed, with pale gold light flowing between the runic plates as the energy core at the center began to rotate slowly.
Ethan withdrew his mental power.
It was done.
The Wizard Towers and the teleportation array were all complete.
My mission is complete.
Now, if I wanted to play it safe, I should wait ten months for the War Fortress to officially break through the world barrier of the Amons World and begin the invasion.
Unfortunately, Ethan had no intention of waiting.
Playing it by the book wouldn't help him gather more Life Energy.
"Inhale... exhale..."
Having stayed underground for so long, Ethan took a few deep breaths to steady himself.
If he hadn't spent years getting used to the life of a Wizard Apprentice, this would have been truly unbearable.
He pressed his right hand against the trunk of an old tree nearby.
The rough texture of the bark transmitted to his palm.
The surrounding plants began to relay information.
Nothing found.
Nothing seen.
No natives passing through.
This mountain forest was extremely remote; even magical beasts were scarce. When the Amons warriors searched the mountains, they hadn't ventured deep enough in this direction.
Ethan pulled his hand back.
"Tsk, how have they not caught up to me yet?"
He muttered under his breath and started walking toward the west.
He hadn't walked even fifty kilometers before he suddenly tilted his head.
An arrow whistled past his left ear.
Emerald-green light was wrapped around the shaft. The arrowhead plunged into the trunk of a nearby pine tree, burying the entire arrow up to the fletching and leaving only a thumb-sized hole.
The bark around the hole withered and blackened at a visible speed, the decay spreading outward.
Ethan turned his head to the left.
A hundred meters away, an Amons girl stood atop a protruding rock.
She was over three meters tall, her pale green skin shimmering slightly in the sunlight, and her long, pointed ears angled upward from the sides of her head.
She held a longbow nearly as tall as herself, its frame crafted from some dark green wood and its surface intricately wrapped in vine-like patterns.
Beside the girl, dozens of Amons warriors emerged from the shadows of the trees.
Each was over three meters tall, their pale green skin painted with dark red war patterns. They held spears, battle axes, and hunting bows.
Their amber eyes stared in unison at Ethan, their gazes filled with wariness.
The girl notched another arrow, drawing the bowstring taut as she aimed at Ethan.
"Who are you? Why have you stepped into the territory of the Green Das Tribe?"
Her voice carried from a hundred meters away, as clear as if she were standing right next to him.
Ethan didn't answer.
He spread the five fingers of his right hand.
Dozens of vines shot out from his palm.
The vines were dark brown, about the thickness of a thumb, with fine woody textures on their surface. They tore through the air with sharp whistles, lunging toward the girl and the Amons warriors a hundred meters away.
However, a hundred meters was still too far for the vines.
The girl tapped her toes against the rock, shifting her body to the left to easily dodge the lunging vines. The Amons warriors also dodged, their movements agile despite their massive three-meter frames.
The vines missed their mark, slamming into the rock where the girl had just stood and sending stone chips flying.
The girl landed on another rock but lowered her longbow. Her amber eyes scanned Ethan, eventually settling on the vines still swaying slowly from his palm.
"You can control vines? Which tribe's Priest Apprentice are you?"
The wariness in her voice lessened slightly, replaced by a hint of curiosity.
The Amons warriors also lowered their weapons.
Ethan started walking toward the girl.
"I've been in the mountains for months. What's the situation now? Have they caught that outsider yet?"
The girl jumped down from the rock and slung the longbow over her back, a flash of frustration crossing her amber eyes.
"No," she said, stomping her foot. "I don't know how that outsider can run so well. Tens of thousands of warriors haven't been able to find a trace of him."
Ethan came to a stop in front of her.
"Yeah, my teacher told me to follow as support, but I accidentally got lost. Is your tribe far? I'd like to restock."
The girl tilted her head, her long ears twitching.
"Who is your teacher? Which tribe's Priest?"
"The Morsel Tribe."
"Morsel?" The girl frowned and turned to a scarred strongman beside her. "Have you heard of it?"
The man shook his head.
The girl then looked at an older warrior. That warrior also shook his head.
"Never heard of it." The girl turned back, her amber eyes scanning Ethan from head to toe. "But since you can control vines, you're definitely a Priest Apprentice. Only a Priest could teach such a method. I'm Leah. What's your name?"
"Eton."
Ethan reached out and shook her hand.
As for his real name?
He wasn't crazy enough to give his real name to a stranger.
"Come on, I'll take you to the tribe. Our Green Das Tribe has lived in these mountains for hundreds of years. You're lucky you got lost here. If you had wandered into the territory of the Ironwood Tribe or the Blackwater Tribe, those guys wouldn't care if you're a Priest Apprentice or not; they'd capture you first."
The Amons warriors automatically split into two groups, one leading the way and the other following behind as a guard.
Ethan was sandwiched in the middle, walking side-by-side with Leah.
"How many warriors does your tribe have?" Ethan asked.
"Over three hundred," Leah said, counting on her fingers. "Two hundred First-Tier Warriors, eighty Second-Tier Warriors, and five Sentinels. There's also one Priest—my grandmother."
She paused and glanced at Ethan.
"What about your teacher? Why did he let you into the mountains alone?"
"My teacher had other tasks and told me to head ahead as support. He said we'd meet in Ironwood City," Ethan answered casually.
"Ironwood City?" Leah's ears perked up. "That's far. You have to head north from here and cross over a dozen mountains to get there. Besides, it's under martial law right now. Not just anyone can get in."
Rate on N.U.
