Chapter 57: War Ancient Tree!

Bik's crying was unexpected by Gervas; he was indeed crafting a persona, but this is simply the daily life of a lord!

Of course, he could also understand the agitation of someone who had endured immense pressure for days and now faced the risk of execution, venting their emotions.

Without offering comfort, he let him release the pressure; in less than half a minute, Bik recovered to normal and repeatedly apologized and begged for mercy from Gervas.

Only then did he use both hands to help Bik up, and amidst Bik's eyes filled with light and faith, Gervas and his party proceeded to the apple orchard.

Of course, before leaving, Gervas also dispatched Knight Commander Lei Meng to lead men to draw water from Tianehu.

Because the nesting of the Rainbow-Winged Swans was still in a critical phase, it could not be subjected to great disturbance.

Letting others supervise was something Gervas did not trust.

"My lord, this is that withered apple orchard; every apple tree on this hill has withered!"

"Bik, do you remember where the apples first began to wither?"

"My lord, the apple trees that first withered were all concentrated on that hilltop; at that time, three apple trees had leaves that were slightly yellow, and this humble one thought it was a pest infestation."

"But it was subsequently discovered there were no insects and no disease, yet the withering of the apple trees could not be stopped!"

Gervas nodded; discovering the disease on the very first day proved that Bik was indeed diligent and devoted.

One must know that the combined orchards of several wealthy households covered over a thousand mu.

Although there were other serfs assisting, manpower was still tight.

Arriving directly at the hilltop, Gervas closed his eyes to sense carefully and immediately detected an anomaly.

At a certain spot on this hilltop, the fluctuations of elements and mana were extremely violent.

Following the sensation, Gervas arrived at the center point where the fluctuations of elements and mana were strongest.

The ground currently showed no signs of anomaly, but Gervas, possessing system intelligence, could naturally verify whether the War Ancient Tree was here.

"Lei Meng, have people start carrying water!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Subsequently, the serfs lined up to begin drawing water from the carriages.

Basins of Tianehu spring water were poured into the location designated by Gervas.

During this process, the fluctuations of mana and elements became increasingly violent.

Even Lei Meng detected the anomaly.

"My lord, this... what is this thing?"

Such obvious fluctuations of mana and elements could only appear on a magical beast.

But the problem was that the fluctuations were coming from beneath their feet, so if it were a magical beast, it made no sense.

"Lei Meng, we will know very soon!"

Gervas did not spoil the plot, otherwise it would be hard to explain.

However, the answer was revealed quickly; after pouring more than two cartloads of spring water, the ground suddenly rose slightly, resembling the appearance of a spring bamboo shoot about to break through the soil in a past life.

Of course, the area breaking through the soil was larger, at least the size of a washbasin.

And the breaking through the soil continued, proceeding at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Puff!

The soil was completely pushed aside, and a streak of green appeared on the ground.

This streak of green continued to rise until it stopped only after reaching more than ten centimeters above the ground.

"This... this is the War Ancient Tree?!"

Although the War Ancient Tree sapling was only ten centimeters tall, it could already be completely distinguished from ordinary trees.

First, the most prominent feature was its stoutness; that thick main trunk looked vividly like a small tree stump, clearly a small sapling, yet it had grown into the appearance of a thousand-year-old tree!

Secondly, on its main trunk there was not only a faint human face, but on both sides grew symmetrical and neat palm-leaf-like large hands (branches), and the two thick roots slightly protruding from the ground below resembled thick legs ready to pull away from the ground at any moment.

Although it was the first time seeing this War Ancient Tree, one could indeed distinguish it at a glance.

And this exclamation was made by Knight Commander Lei Meng; seeing Knight Commander Lei Meng so surprised showed the preciousness of the War Ancient Tree.

"M-my lord, is this truly the War Ancient Tree?" At this moment, it was Knight Mi Gen who asked; this time, Knight Commander Lei Meng did not even need to explain, indicating they had all heard of the War Ancient Tree's fame.

"That is correct; when Zhui Yue told me earlier, I already had this hypothesis; now it seems Zhui Yue's guess was correct!"

"Heavens, it really is the War Ancient Tree; this is a terrifying weapon of war possessed only by the Elf race; it is said that the most powerful War Ancient Trees can even fight against ninth-rank magical beasts!" Knight Mi Gen and the other knights stood dumbfounded, their eyes shining as they looked at the War Ancient Tree.

"It can indeed fight against ninth-rank magical beasts, but that is for a tree that is at least several hundred years old," Gervas said.

"My lord, actually ninth-rank magical beasts are too distant for us, but it is said the War Ancient Tree can reach adulthood in over a hundred years; by then, it can at least deal with seventh or eighth-rank magical beasts."

"Moreover, if the requirements are lowered even further, it takes at most forty or fifty years to deal with fifth or sixth-rank magical beasts, and it can handle several of them at once; this is already comparable to several Golden Knights!" Lei Meng added at this point.

Gervas nodded; the War Ancient Tree, with its thick skin, tough flesh, and ample health bar, was absolutely a helper capable of fighting many opponents alone; growing for forty or fifty years would indeed make it comparable to several Golden Knights.

The Elf race's population was on a completely different scale from the Human and Beast races, yet they could contend with both; the protection of the War Ancient Tree was indispensable.

So once it grows, placing it at the castle gate will absolutely make it a powerful guardian.

Actually, there is another way to make the War Ancient Tree grow strong quickly, and that is the Spring of Life.

Legend has it that in ancient times, the Elf race once encountered a catastrophe of extinction, and it was relying on the Spring of Life to sprout a large number of adult War Ancient Trees that saved them from the disaster of annihilation.

That thing, the Spring of Life, Gervas felt he must find a way to obtain some in the future.

Having confirmed the location of the War Ancient Tree, the next step was to provide protection and care.

The War Ancient Tree was still in the seedling stage, had no subjective consciousness, and could not move.

"Old John, when we return, notify the Civil Administrator; have him send people tomorrow to remove all these withered apple trees, and then build a wall along the hill."

"From now on, no one is allowed to enter without permission!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Gervas then looked at Bik, "Bik, from now on, you will be responsible for watering this War Ancient Tree."

"At least three cartloads of Tianehu spring water are needed daily! I will have the Civil Administrator arrange the carriages and manpower for you!"

"Yes, my lord, I will certainly take good care of the War Tree!" Bick was overwhelmed with excitement; he had heard the entire conversation between the lords.

This was a sum worth over a thousand gold coins, a number he would never dare to dream of.

"By the way, Old John, what was Bick's previous salary?"

"My lord, it was ten copper coins per day."

"Then raise it to the same salary as the male and female servants, twenty copper coins per day! Additionally, provide a subsidy of three jin of smoked dried meat every month!"

Thump!

"Thank you, my lord, for your bounty!"

Bick was already kneeling on the ground; it was not that his knees were weak, but that the grace of my lord was truly beyond repayment.

Ten copper coins per day was actually quite a lot, enough to feed his entire family so they would not go hungry.

However, compared to the castle servants, it was still a step below.

The castle servants already surpassed ninety-nine percent of the serfs.

Above them were the high-ranking ones like Old John and Caroline, the personal maid, those levels that ordinary people could never reach in a lifetime.

Therefore, upon hearing that Lord Gervas had raised him to the treatment of a castle servant, even if asked to die now, Bick would not frown.