Chapter 195: Sinner, go repent before the Great Merciful Tree King

Two days later.

The patrol team personally led by Tighnari brought the exhausted Azhaer to Xu Mi Cheng.

Escorting the prisoner shouldn't have been his duty as a patrolman.

But who let Xu Mi Cheng be short-staffed now?

Not only scholars went to support the construction of Hope City, but the Thirty-Person Corps also dispatched many personnel to maintain public order.

Although Nadixa has begun to create a true army according to the standards of the West Wind Knights and the Thousand Rock Army, time is still short, and now they are merely raw recruits undergoing training; the main city defense work of Xu Mi Cheng still relies on the Thirty-Person Corps.

Under these circumstances, the patrol system and the disciplinary officer system also temporarily set aside their tasks to fill the vacancies in the city defense forces.

Tighnari was originally the patrol officer of Daocheng Forest, and Nafesi also missed this disciple quite a bit, so the task of escorting Azhaer was naturally handed to him.

"Long time no see~"

Luo De and Tighnari haven't seen each other in a long time.

Regarding the arrival of this senior who is both teacher and friend, Luo De was very happy, ignoring Azhaer whose eyes were practically about to spit fire at first sight, and eagerly chatted with Tighnari.

Speaking of which, getting excited,

Luo De asked: "Do you want to go to the desert and check out Hope City?"

"Desert."

Tighnari's face showed a hint of bitterness: "I really do want to go, but"

He hadn't finished speaking.

Tighnari then let out a deep sigh.

Childhood memories surged up again because of Luo De's words.

Barroth.

The big dog in the desert.

The Dendro Archon's attendant Lanayro personally bestowed this name upon their race.

When Tighnari learned of this name as a child, he eagerly asked his father to bring him along when going to the desert for inspection.

But what Tighnari never expected was that

After just a few steps into the desert, he got sunstruck; if not treated promptly, he might have come down with heatstroke.

Yet the big dog in the desert cannot enter the desert.

This matter has always been a lifelong regret in Tighnari's heart.

"Sigh——"

Thinking of this, Tighnari rubbed his own shiny black ears.

Barroth is a species with uniformly green fur, but Tighnari's fur is black.

And in the physical examination of the Vitalist School,

He was also confirmed to have an innate intolerance to heat.

These internal and external factors mean that Tighnari lacks his father's ease in the desert; even with ample preparation, he cannot stay there for long.

Just as Tighnari felt gloomy about not being able to go to the desert, Luo De smiled and said, "I have a way."

"Huh?"

Tighnari's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked, "Do you have a way to keep me from getting sunstruck?"

"Fool, just walk with me and it'll be fine."

Luo De's fingertip flicked, and a refreshing sensation immediately swirled around Tighnari.

"Ice Elemental Power?"

Tighnari was slightly disappointed.

He had originally thought Luo De had some way to rid him of his heat intolerance, but it turned out to be just using elemental energy.

Tighnari had tried this method before.

For example, using the frost calamity essential oil made by the Materialist School, or the blossoms of the Ice Mist Flower, and carrying an Ice Slime on his person—he tried those methods as well.

However, the results were all the same.

Even fully prepared, he could at most make it to A Ru Cun before he couldn't bear to go further.

"Hey."

"Don't make that face."

Luo De patted Tighnari's shoulder: "With my ability, this single method is enough to safely escort you to Hope City; by then Nadixa will be there, and she can help you resolve your constitution issue."

Upon mentioning the deity, the somewhat dejected Tighnari immediately blinked his eyes, regained his spirits, and said, "Will the Little Auspicious Grass King help me?"

"Others might not, but you definitely can."

Luo De chuckled: "Go ask your teacher for a day off, or else he'll get angry again."

"Okay."

Now that his constitution finally had a chance to be resolved, Tighnari didn't linger a moment longer and vanished in a puff of smoke.

With his departure,

The huge room was left with only Luo De and Azhaer staring at each other.

Seeing each other again.

Azhaer still maintained the appearance of still being a Great Sage.

Although his gaze could kill, he still put on a calm and carefree demeanor, hands behind his back, facing Luo De, showing no trace of fear or any other emotion.

"Tsk."

Luo De had no intention of mocking Azhaer; he directly stated his purpose for summoning him: "Do you want to go see the Great Merciful Tree King?"

Great Merciful Tree King!!!?

This name made Azhaer unable to stay calm any longer.

He saw his eyes widen, took a step forward, grabbed Luo De's collar, and shouted: "Who did you just say?"

Didn't hear clearly? Great Merciful Tree King!

If you still haven't heard clearly, I'll repeat it again.

Great! Merciful! Tree! King!!!

How about it? Did you hear clearly?

Luo De didn't make any move, merely repeating the name of the Great Merciful Tree King to Azhaer several times.

Great Merciful. Tree King

Having confirmed he hadn't misheard, Azhaer's hand loosened, he unconsciously stepped back two paces, still muttering in disbelief: "How could this be? Impossible! She's clearly dead! She's clearly dead!!

He said.

He lifted his head sharply, with the last hint of hope, asked Luo De: "You're deceiving me, right? You meant the Little Auspicious Grass King, didn't you? She she should have long been dead!"

What a pity.

I'm not deceiving you; the Great Merciful Tree King will soon return to Sumeru.

Luo De said coldly, expressionless.

Hope shattered.

Azhaer's ferocious face grew ever more unhinged.

He clutched his head with both hands, fiercely scratching his face, sharp nails carving one bloody line after another, yet seeming to feel no pain as he muttered to himself: "She's not dead! Turns out she's still alive!!

What are we doing?

What on earth are we doing!!

In an instant, Azhaer seemed to have aged decades, his despairing face streaked with unwilling tears and blood that kept falling.

The Great Merciful Tree King is still alive.

This means the Academy has been doing pointless work for these five hundred years.

What god‑making, what replacing the Dendro Archon, all of it—before the words 'The Great Merciful Tree King is still alive'—all become meaningless.

Even if they created a god, what then?

Even if the Academy had its own god, what then?

As long as the Great Merciful Tree King remains, Sumeru is still his nation, and everything they do is as meaningless as children playing house.

Luo De showed no softening despite Azhaer's mental collapse, merely saying coldly: "Sinner, prepare to repent before the Great Merciful Tree King."

(End of chapter)