Chapter 3: Tree Spirit

Luo De rode his horse to that area.

He quickly spotted the stumps of two trees whose roots remained.

Beside them were a cold firepit and remnants of food.

It was clear someone had spent the night here.

Luo De was no skilled hunter; he could only estimate from the amount of food that there were at least three criminals.

“Five of them, all male—one halfling, four humans.”

Tally did not dismount, her short legs swinging in midair.

Seeing Luo De’s puzzled look, she proudly pointed to her nose.

“Don’t forget who I am—I can smell male essence at a glance.”

Luo De gave her a thumbs-up.

“Can you tell where they went?”

Tally shook her head.

“They stayed here overnight, so some essence lingered—but their trail was too faint once they moved.”

Luo De did not dwell on it.

Pursuing lawbreakers was not part of a forest warden’s duties; tomorrow was payday in Shi Ying Town—he could simply inform the town’s constable then.

Besides, based on their numbers, this group looked more like poachers.

It was common knowledge.

Humans and halflings on the continent loved to poach.

“But where did the wood go?”

Two water cedars, each twenty rings in age, stood thirty to forty meters tall.

The ash in the firepit was nowhere near enough.

Soon.

He found out.

Under the midday sun, Luo De noticed strange shadows on the ground.

He looked up.

Between the towering water cedars, trunks of varying lengths were bound together, forming an odd pattern in midair.

“What is this?”

Tally looked, also frowning in confusion.

“Is this some kind of spell?” Luo De asked.

“No—no magical flow. It’s purely human-made.”

Luo De rubbed his forehead.

Good news: not poachers.

No poacher would waste time on this nonsense.

Bad news: whoever did this was either a cultist or had some strange race’s peculiar obsession.

Luo De recorded the location and sketched the pattern in his notebook.

“Go, bring down the wood.”

He ordered Tally.

Tally blinked.

Then she pouted, her shoulders swaying back and forth.

“The trees are so big, I’m so small—I can’t carry them~”

“Won’t go? Two days of abstinence.”

Tally immediately jumped off the horse, reverting to her true form, black bat wings sprouting from her lower back.

She cunningly covered only her three key points with scales.

After giving Luo De a mournful glance, she flapped her wings upward.

【Tally’s obedience toward you +1, current obedience: 52】

Oh?

That adds too.

Luo De had initially thought this was like affection.

Now he wasn’t so sure.

The day’s patrol revealed no other anomalies.

Luo De arrived at No. 1 Forest Warden Cabin, closest to the town.

After digesting the day’s meals, Tally’s appetite returned.

She shifted into a young girl, yet with a bust disproportionate to her frame.

On the way back, she had clung to Luo De’s neck, sniffing incessantly.

“You said I couldn’t eat outside—didn’t say I couldn’t sniff, did you?”

Those were her exact words.

Luo De, too, found himself stirred.

Combined with the constant effect of his 【Second Heart】 skill, which continuously strengthened his body,

He was truly flushed with blood.

So the moment they entered, Luo De lunged at her.

Tally joyfully opened her arms to welcome him.

Halfway through.

Tally could barely maintain her transformation—her eyes reverted to her true form’s glowing red pupils.

Her breath turned visibly pale pink.

Sweat on her skin reflected white light.

Gigglegigglegiggle—

Someone knocked on the door.

Luo De froze.

“Who is it?”

He couldn’t pretend not to hear—Tally’s voice was too loud.

No answer came from outside.

“Ignore it~”

Luo De went to open the door.

Tally, annoyed, leapt forward and hugged him from behind.

Outside the door—

Was a visitor she never expected.

Slightly curled green hair and elf-like pointed ears.

Her body sprouted interwoven green and brown leaves; glowing vine-like tendrils coiled around her limbs like ivy.

Most striking were her delicate face’s eyes—constantly shining with white light.

“Tree spirit?”

Tally was astonished.

Tree spirits were not a race fond of human conversation.

Luo De ignored the crushing pressure against his back.

“Miss Vivian?”

The Windwall Forest was a primal ecosystem, home to countless creatures.

Some nature-loving races had even settled here.

As far as Luo De knew, there were werewolf clans in the oak zone, scorpion women in the eucalyptus zone, and here in the water cedar zone, tree spirits and half-deer folk.

As a forest warden, he had met this tree spirit lady several times before.

“Injured.”

Vivian uttered one word, her face filled with timidity and worry.

Then she pointed behind her.

Luo De looked.

A delicate girl with a human upper body and a deer’s lower half lay curled on the ground, pale-faced and eyes tightly shut.

An arrow pierced her deer body, beside it a fresh blood wound—blood had soaked nearly half her deer form.

“Arrow, I, pulled out one.”

The tree spirit spoke guiltily.

She had been struck by two arrows, and forcibly removed one, causing massive bleeding.

Luo De knew time was critical—he swiftly carried the unconscious half-deer girl into the cabin.

He knew basic first aid and kept some magical potions on hand.

Two hours later.

After consuming a magic potion, the half-deer girl’s condition finally stabilized.

Tally transformed into a cute nurse and wiped the blood from the girl’s body.

Vivian sighed in relief.

But she remained beside the half-deer girl, unwilling to leave.

“What happened?”

“Four humans, one halfling, attacked.”

Same group that cut down the trees?

Luo De frowned.

Cutting down trees was bad enough—now they’re injuring people?

His irritation began to rise.

Luo De glanced at the steel sword hanging on the wall.

“Can you sense their direction?”

Tree spirits are naturally linked to trees; perhaps they could gather some information.

Vivian shook her head.

“They left the forest.”

“Then forget it.”

Vivian slumped entirely.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

Luo De waved his hand, not caring.

But Vivian took it to heart.

The pure tree spirit felt her own helplessness intensely.

After a moment, she made up her mind.

A seed the size of a fingertip grew from the vine tendrils in her palm.

A strong aura of spirituality spread through the wooden house.

“Here.”

“A Spirit Seed?!”

Tally walked over, eyes wide.

Vivian startled and quickly clutched the seed to her chest.

“What is this?”

Luo De was curious.

He rarely saw Tally this excited.

“It’s a treasure that can alter the body—overcoming racial limits and learning more spiritual arts!”

Luo De immediately understood.

Like spells.

Spells are a type of spiritual art.

Not all races on this continent can learn the various spells.

Succubi’s seductive fluids and tree spirits’ tree-sensing abilities cannot be learned by other races.

But with this Spirit Seed, it’s different.

It exists independently within the body, allowing free construction of spell formulas, unconstrained by racial limits.

Luo De’s talent is average.

This seed could raise his ceiling.

(End of Chapter)