Chapter 7: Enslaving the Tree Spirit

Luo De drank three magic potions in succession.

He finally felt better.

He rested his head on Tally’s thigh, opened his eyes, and found two fleshy mounds nearly pressed against his face.

“Clothes.”

His voice was weak.

Tally gently stroked his hair, then bent down and kissed his cheek.

“There’s no one else around~”

Just now, she checked and discovered Luo De had a second heart.

At that moment, she realized the enslavement spell connecting them was a highly advanced technique capable of sharing skills.

Vivian sat beside them.

She stared blankly at the wound on Luo De’s chest.

“Human, heart, broken, die.”

As a tree spirit, Vivian had no heart; instead, she possessed core seeds distributed throughout her body.

Thus, they were not an easily extinguished race.

But she also knew that a human’s heart, if destroyed, would lead to death.

Luo De sensed her concern.

Indeed, losing one heart would affect his strength, but it wouldn’t kill him.

With the regenerative power of his second heart, he could even return to normal.

He was about to comfort her.

Tally began pretending to cry beside him.

“Master… waaah, Master is going to die, little Tally has no master anymore… waaah.”

“. What are you faking for?”

Vivian’s expression shifted slightly; her brows lowered, filled with sorrow.

She placed her palm on Luo De’s hand.

“You, good human, Vivian, don’t want you die.”

“Oh Master, waaah, if only there were a tree spirit here, little Tally could save your life… waaah.” Tally sobbed.

Upon hearing this, Vivian immediately pointed to herself.

“I, tree spirit, what, way?”

“Oh, so Vivian you’re a tree spirit?”

Tally’s face lit up with sudden understanding.

Luo De: “.”

Then she immediately excitedly added:

“Master mastered an enslavement spell—this spell shares the life of the enslaved. Tree spirits live long; they can surely save Master!”

Luo De now understood.

But he didn’t understand why Tally was doing this.

After this battle, Luo De realized the instability of the situation; his current progress was far from enough to increase his strength.

Previously, he had felt moral pressure over enslavement.

Now, he didn’t.

As long as he didn’t force others, it was fine.

Except Tally.

The tree spirit paused, then immediately responded.

“Willing, if, can save.”

“That’s wonderful!”

Tally quickly turned to Luo De, fearing her master might be morally rigid.

“Vivian, don’t worry—I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

Luo De spoke seriously.

“Vivian, believe.”

【Enslavement Spell used successfully】

【Enslaved Object 2: Vivian. Huai Erde】

【Race: Tree Spirit】

【Age: 42】

【Obedience: 73】

【Evaluation: Possesses elf and tree demon bloodline; likely the race with the least desires on the continent, even more so than elves dwelling in the Verdant Court—except for their passion for trees. Many tree spirits are extreme tree protectors.】

【Obedience surpassed 73; shared skills unlocked with Vivian】

【Extraction attempts: 3】

【Random extraction initiated.】

Starting at 73 obedience?

Luo De was surprised.

This obedience level somewhat reflected affection.

Did Vivian have such high affection for him?

But upon reflection, it made sense.

He had once saved the life of his friend, Half-deer.

Moreover, tree spirits inherently loved forests, and Luo De, as a forest ranger, spent his days protecting them.

After several encounters, everyone got along well—high affection was inevitable.

Vivian’s skill list scrolled continuously.

Her spiritual arts far exceeded Tally’s.

【Steel Vine Charge】【Live with Trees】【Tree Walker】【Rot Spore】【Tree Perception】【Tree Armor】 etc.

Luo De even saw one marked 【????】.

He guessed it was an art Vivian hadn’t learned yet but could learn.

【Extraction successful】

【Shared Skill: Tree’s Blessing】

【Details: An innate spiritual art that draws trees closer; trees continuously grant you the forest’s spirituality. Within forests, your recovery is greatly enhanced, and your understanding of spirituality improves.】

【Shared Skill: Steel Vine Charge】

【Details: Spiritual power hardens vines to steel strength; they burst from the ground to charge and destroy those who harm the forest.】

【Shared Skill: Tree Armor】

【Details: Ancient trees possess extreme resilience and defense; when attached to the body, they absorb most damage. This skill may evolve into a higher-tier skill—Dragon Scale Art.】

Luo De’s eyes lit up.

All three were highly practical spells!

One offensive, one defensive, one passive.

【Tree’s Blessing】 immediately took effect.

He felt a steady warmth flowing from the forest, healing his wounded body.

Vivian opened her eyes, glowing with white light.

At her collarbone, the enslavement rune now appeared.

“Master.”

“No, Vivian, just call me Luo De.”

Luo De winced: “Continue living in the forest as you did—I won’t interfere.”

Tally pulled Luo De’s head into her ample chest.

“Yes, don’t interfere with us either—especially when we’re in the room. Don’t ever interrupt us again like last time.”

Luo De pulled away from Tally.

His body had improved greatly.

Perhaps because of 【Tree’s Blessing】, he could hear the trees screaming in the flames.

“Put out the fire.”

None of them had effective fire-suppression spells.

They could only stop the fire’s spread by creating firebreaks.

After nearly two hours of work, they finally finished.

Luo De went to the pasture, hoping to find survivors.

Sadly, all five family members were dead, their brain matter removed.

“The Igo Cult… behaves exactly like the Igo tribe.”

Tally used tweezers to pry open the skull, her expression serious.

She conjured a white doctor’s coat, hung a stethoscope around her neck, tied her hair neatly back—but still retained her demonic true form, creating a striking contrast.

And they’ve gone so far as to act openly, even leaving the corpses uncleaned—so brazenly reckless.

Luo De suspected that the influence of the Igo Sect had seeped deep into the bones.

The Kingdom of Aitheron had clashed with the neighboring Heaven Flower Kingdom, suffered consecutive defeats, and plunged into panic; countless snakes, insects, rats, and vermin took advantage of the chaos.

Tally dropped the tweezers.

She pressed herself against Luo De’s chest, her breasts flattening against his ribs.

“Let me listen to your heart—has it healed yet?”

She wore the stethoscope, but wasn’t listening; instead, she teasingly traced slow circles over Luo De’s firm pectoral muscles.

Thanks to the continuous healing of the Tree’s Blessing, Luo De’s wounds had fully healed.

Tally’s teasing had genuinely stirred a fire in his chest.

Vivian stepped out from the edge of the woods.

Luo De quickly pushed Tally away.

“Stupid tree spirit,” Tally grumbled.

“Luo De, the halfling—he’s out.”

Luo De smiled.

The halfling had taken an invisibility potion earlier; even in death, its effect still persisted.

That made it hard for him to search the body.

Now was the perfect time to claim his spoils.

(End of Chapter)