Chapter 473: Plant the Life Tree! The Elf Goddess

After this divine descent of nectar, the elves began large-scale planting of magical plants.

With the entire forest now "alive," these magical plants grew with extraordinary speed.

This was the second phase of reclamation.

However, this phase of reclamation would last much longer and was a long-term endeavor.

Over three hundred thousand elves would first reclaim the forests surrounding their residential areas.

Other areas would be reclaimed later by elves who joined afterward.

Another week passed, and the three hundred thousand elves had planted magical plants throughout the center of Sacred Flame Forest.

The Elf Goddess had been observing them all along.

"They should be ready to plant the Life Tree soon."

The Elf Goddess thought.

She flew and flew, landing on a tree to watch the elves' movements.

If she were not the Elf Goddess but another creature, the elves would have noticed her.

In the forest, the elves' perception was too strong, and the forest itself would "tell" them.

But she was the Elf Goddess, completely fused with the forest, so no elf detected her.

On the ground, Princess Chenxi and Lomina had finally chosen the location for the capital of the Sacred Flame Elf Empire!

The site was nearly at the center of Sacred Flame Forest!

It lay within a canyon carved by a river.

The canyon's scenery was exceptionally beautiful, and it was wide—nearly ten kilometers across.

The river's drop here was nearly two hundred meters, forming many stunning waterfalls!

The canyon's sides were not sheer cliffs but stepped downward layer by layer, and these terraces could hold buildings for the elves to live in.

Some elves preferred living in treehouses they built themselves—these treehouses were exquisitely crafted, looked especially beautiful, and were surprisingly spacious inside.

Amidst the forest, such treehouses stretched into vast clusters, connected by vines, creating an especially poetic atmosphere.

Unlike ordinary humans who always struggled with mosquitoes and insects when living in forests, the elves' forests had very few such pests.

Though the elves loved nature, that did not mean they welcomed mosquitoes and insects.

Their forests were always the cleanest and most beautiful.

Of course, the forest's overall ecosystem was profoundly harmonious.

Yet some elves preferred building beautiful small cottages to live in, and the canyon's two sides were perfect for such construction.

"This place can house at least one hundred thousand elves," Princess Chenxi said.

The elves required vast forest areas, but that did not mean they lived in extreme dispersion.

Their residences were still relatively concentrated.

But their lifestyle demanded larger forests to sustain them.

But their lifestyle requires a larger forest to sustain them.

They would never destroy forests to farm.

Instead, they selected certain magical plants.

Moreover, their diet differed from humans'—they did not eat many human foods.

Otherwise, with its vast size, the Loki Forest could support hundreds of millions of humans, yet it housed only a million elves!

Still, the elves would not live too densely, unless, like Night Elves, they were forced to live crowded together in underground cities.

"Night Elves will reside here. Ask which other elves wish to live here—if too many apply, we'll decide by lottery."

"Night Elves will reside here. Ask which other elves wish to live here—if there are too many, we'll decide by lottery."

"Mm!"

Princess Chenxi nodded.

Construction of the capital had already begun; for elves, all of whom could use magic, the process was extremely fast.

In this canyon, vast quantities of flowers were planted, and under the elves' magic, they sprouted rapidly.

All manner of flowers bloomed across the entire canyon, transforming it into a breathtakingly beautiful place, like a fairyland.

Next, Lomina laid down numerous wards to protect the canyon.

Many tribes wished to settle in the canyon, but the lottery results were in: the Greenland Elves and Winged Elves were granted entry.

The Wind Elves chose to settle by a lake not far from the canyon.

The other elves each found their own territories.

They were all relatively close, arranged roughly in a circle around the central area.

After completing their settlements, all the elves gathered together again.

They were about to perform their most important task.

That was to plant the Life Tree!

When these elf tribes had migrated earlier, the Life Trees had been reduced to seeds; once planted, with sufficient energy, they could grow rapidly.

The forest and the Life Tree were mutually reinforcing.

The larger the forest, the more vigorous the Life Tree.

And the more vigorous the Life Tree, the more prosperous the forest became.

In the past, these tribes' forests were limited in size, so the Life Trees never grew very large.

Now, these tribes decided to combine all their Life Tree seeds—these seeds shared identical energy and would grow into one enormous Life Tree!

The Life Tree would be planted in the plain at the bottom of the canyon.

And the Tree of Life would be planted in the plains at the bottom of the canyon.

Under the elves' magic, a large open space had already been cleared, sufficient for planting the Life Tree.

The soil had long been specially prepared, smooth and fertile.

Over three hundred thousand elves stood atop the canyon, along its sides, and at its bottom, jointly witnessing this grand occasion.

Lomina and Princess Chenxi presided over this grand event.

"Mother, begin—I have already prayed to my deity!"

Princess Chenxi said.

Lomina nodded.

She began to cast magic, and soon, a large pit appeared in the center of the open space.

Lomina handed the Life Tree seed to Princess Chenxi: "Chenxi, as queen, you shall plant it."

Immediately, the chieftains of surrounding elf tribes all handed their seeds to Princess Chenxi.

"Queen Chenxi, we entrust our Life Tree seeds to you!"

This was Ashara, chieftain of the Wind Elf tribe!

"Queen Chenxi, here are our Life Tree seeds—please accept them."

This was Maki, chieftain of the Winged Elves.

"Queen Chenxi, the Greenland Elves shall henceforth be known as the Sacred Flame Elves—here is our Life Tree seed; from now on, we are one family!"

This was Anna, chieftain of the Greenland Elves.

Then, the Sun Elves, Mountain Elves, and other tribes each handed their Life Tree seeds to Princess Chenxi.

This was a special ritual.

It signified that these elf tribes now joined the Sacred Flame Elf Empire, becoming one unified family!

Should any elf tribe join later, they would typically offer their Life Tree seed, merging it into the Life Tree, which would grow stronger with each addition.