Chapter 263: The Masterpiece of Druids!

Lifting the druid’s remains, Wang Yu sprinted toward Avia and Sif.

Though he could not fathom what this frantically spreading moss actually was, the state of the mycelium he had encountered earlier told him that these "wild lives" were nothing safe.

"This moss is also a corrupted plant, infused with natural mana and a relatively abundant life force. Its source must be beneath the ground."

Avia tapped her brow lightly, adjusting the perfect fractal lens over her right eye to observe the moss as it surged and sprawled across the surroundings.

Once Wang Yu and his companions had dispatched the mycelium and the giant mushrooms, this moss had erupted from the earth, much like a street gang rushing to seize new territory the moment they realized the rival faction had been wiped out.

The green tide spread rapidly. Unlike ordinary moss, these writhing, corrupted growths possessed genuine mobility; their tiny roots flailed with frantic speed, emerging from the soil to carpet the world in a verdant, creeping shroud.

"Are these things fighting for turf?"

Returning to Avia and Sif’s side, Wang Yu frowned at the flourishing moss, struggling to make sense of the situation.

They had come to the Sorensen Mountains to investigate the "Corruption," yet all they had seen so far were mushroom-men, and now, moss and fungi battling for dominance.

There was no sign of the Corruption itself, but the Sorensen Mountains felt strangely lively, as if the "plant-people" were locked in a chaotic brawl.

"..."

Avia remained silent, offering no immediate answer. She simply scrutinized the moss, her perfect fractal lens gathering a wealth of data.

"Wang Yu, place the druid’s remains here. Sif, please use the Natural Secret Language to infuse these remains with natural mana. I have a theory I need to verify."

The rolling green tide of moss in the distance reflected in the girl’s eyes. The words Wang Yu had recited earlier echoed in her mind; the look of contemplation gradually faded, replaced by a fleeting spark of realization.

"Understood."

Following her request, Sif immediately invoked the Natural Secret Language, condensing a cluster of green light in her palm and pressing it gently against the druid’s corpse.

As the natural mana flowed in, glowing, layered circuits emerged upon the surface of the skeletal remains, and an invisible force began to ripple outward.

"Hm?"

Sif paused, momentarily stunned by the invisible pulse. She was familiar with this power; many elven rangers used this technique to accelerate plant growth, drawing upon natural mana as a catalyst.

Yet, the power radiating from this druid’s bones felt different, leaving Sif puzzled. However, after Avia observed the circuits through her fractal lens, she quickly provided a more significant analysis.

"This druid committed suicide. The magic circuits within these bones were etched by the dark elf himself using his own druidic power while he was still alive. In other words, he had long anticipated his own death."

The girl studied the magic circuits embedded in the remains, noting that the druid’s own skeleton served as the foundation.

It was a brilliant approach. Like mages, druids who spent their lives channeling natural mana and casting nature magic possessed bodies that were, by nature, high-quality vessels for magic.

"So, this druid’s original intent was to trigger the mutation of these fungi after his death. But why would he do such a thing? Wait—he actually stated why: 'famine'..."

When Wang Yu had first seen the words inscribed by the druid, he had dismissed them with a quip, but he had suspected the remains were significant, given the deliberate nature of the message.

With Avia’s analysis, he was certain: the druid had intentionally forced the fungi to mutate.

And the reason this druid, a servant of natural order, had unleashed fungi that so severely disrupted the balance of nature, was to combat that oft-mentioned word: "famine."

"The power on these remains is a form of the Natural Secret Language array. Its effect is to accelerate the growth of plants when life force is abundant, but the power here is slightly different. It provides additional guidance, forcing the affected subjects to grow in a specific, directed manner."

Sif carefully sensed the natural power so familiar to her kin, finally pinpointing the anomaly.

The skeleton was deliberately guiding the surrounding fungi to become what they saw—growing wildly, seizing the life force of everything nearby, and devouring all who approached to sate their "thirst."

"Wang Yu, perhaps it is exactly as written on that bone fragment you found. Everything these druids did was to counter that so-called 'famine,' even if the manifestation seems excessively grotesque."

Avia pondered for a moment longer, her brow furrowed as she voiced her hypothesis regarding the druids' motives.

"Then..."

Wang Yu rubbed his chin, muttering to himself before turning to the girl. Their eyes met, and in that silent exchange, they confirmed they shared the same thought. They immediately sprang into action.

The power of the Chariot was unleashed, commanding the earth beneath Wang Yu’s feet. The soil churned, and a deep pit began to form.

The girl’s mana then delved beneath the base of the pit Wang Yu had excavated, manipulating the substances deep underground and pulling them to the surface.

"Pop!"

A cylindrical mass of soil, solidified by earth elements, was extracted by Avia. She had taken a sample from beneath the Sorensen Mountains.

Ignoring the parts related to transcendent elements, she focused her perfect fractal lens, revealing the internal composition of the strange, grayish, loose clods of earth.

"As I thought. The things that could be called 'nutrients' have almost completely vanished from this soil. Beneath the lush forests of the Sorensen Mountains lies a depleted, dead land."

Humus, the trace elements essential for plant growth, even moisture—all were entirely absent from this parched, white soil. It was more barren than the most desolate lands on Earth.

"Is this the so-called famine?"

Wang Yu looked at the handful of soil in the girl’s hand, finally understanding the meaning of the word. He truly couldn't imagine any plant surviving in such earth.

"I believe so. Yet the forests of the Sorensen Mountains grow beautifully, which completely contradicts the nature of this soil..."

The girl nodded, confirming that the famine referred to the extreme infertility of the ground below.

But that raised another question: if the soil of the Sorensen Mountains had been depleted to such a degree for unknown reasons, how could the trees in these forests grow so luxuriantly?

"It’s these things, and the sun."

Wang Yu raised an eyebrow, the answer already clear in his mind. He couldn't help but admire these druids.

Using some unknown method, these druids had leveraged this wild life to forcibly construct a new ecosystem atop these depleted mountains—one entirely different from the original Sorensen ecology.

This seemingly irrational ecological composition was, in fact, the most logical structure for such barren land. The corrupted fungi, while drawing life force from the trees, also provided necessary components for the trees to absorb. Their relationship was not one of theft, but of symbiosis.

Yet, this was merely a cycle of constant internal attrition. These plants could not grow; they would only lose life force with each passing cycle.

However, there was more to this cycle than just these elements. There was the sun. The sun of this world, like that of Earth, cast endless light and heat upon the continent. It was the most critical link in maintaining this cycle.

Photosynthesis—the oldest and most fundamental ability of plants. Through the inexhaustible sunlight, nutrients were created continuously. It was thanks to the sun that this fragile cycle was successfully created and maintained, forcibly carving an oasis out of this desert of famine.

"Incredible."

Wang Yu was struck with awe at the masterpiece created by these dark elf druids. The things the people of this world could achieve constantly redefined his understanding of them.

"Could these dark elves really achieve something to this extent..."

Sif was equally stunned, though her focus differed slightly from Wang Yu’s. She was more astonished that these dark elves, despised by her kin, could create such a masterpiece in the Sorensen Mountains.

"Then, the appearance of this moss must be because we destroyed the surrounding trees. Having lost the component that draws energy from the sun, the cycle is collapsing. Is this moss... a fail-safe?"

Avia stared at the churning moss, gradually realizing that it hadn't appeared to fight the mushrooms for territory, but to replace the role of the trees Wang Yu and his companions had destroyed.

While the moss’s photosynthetic efficiency certainly couldn't match that of trees, it could maintain the cycle temporarily while waiting for recovery. The ecosystem created by these druids, though seemingly fragile, had become unexpectedly resilient due to such fail-safes.

"So, the followers of the God of Life who went mad back then really did find a way to deal with the Corruption? If the Corruption caused the famine, then this ecosystem created by the druids truly solved it."

"In time, this layer of life atop the Sorensen Mountains might even nourish the depleted earth below, making it rich once more. If Holo knew, he would be very happy, I’m sure. I hope he returns soon; with his help, this withered land will surely heal."

Wang Yu shook his head with a sigh of sentiment, never expecting these extreme fungi to play such a positive role.

"Indeed. That aggression must be one of its flaws, but it does not detract from the greatness of this ecosystem."

The girl responded with a smile, for the state of the Sorensen Range seemed far better than they had dared to hope.

"So, if the druids of the Sorensen Range managed to purge the corruption themselves, then our hypothesis was wrong; the plight of the World Tree has nothing to do with the blight?"

Wang Yu scratched his head in bewilderment.