Supreme Magus

e pointed out, they should have recovered at this point. Even though houses aren ’t plant folks, they still possess quite powerful regenerative abilities. The undead have been put to flight days ago and the buildings checked for infected.

”Everything turned out clear and yet… ” He pointed at the fallen leaves and the blackened windows.

If all the houses of the city block were blooming as if it was spring, Erlik ’s hideout seemed to have just come out of winter while the neighboring houses looked to be at the start of fall.

”This makes me wonder, why Erlik didn ’t infect the tree-houses? They would make a powerful juggernaut. ” Friya asked, drawing the undesired attentions of both males and females creatures.

”Laruel ’s buildings are not alive as you and I are. ” A female Thorn tried to hold Friya, but she dodged in time. ”They lack sentience and they ’ll never gain it. They are grown with the purpose of giving every one of us a place to live.

”They are just a means to an end, like your cattle. ”

”Why do you say that they will never gain sentience? Laruel seems abundant in world energy and they are living beings. On top of that, their ability to respond to their owner ’s will makes them look almost sentient already. ” Friya dodged the strong arms of a Treantling as well.

”That ’almost ’ makes all the difference in the world. The tree-houses are just regular trees, but being planted in Laruel grants them special properties. What you mistook for intelligence is just the energy of the World Sapling coursing through them. ” Said the female Thorn who had hit on Lith.

”World Sapling? ” Lith asked.

”The offspring of the World Tree, the first and most ancient among all plant folks. Not only are they alive, but they are also the only reason why our kingdom has peacefully existed for centuries.

”World Saplings supply each city with enough magical power to allow everyday life and protect us from all intruders. They are the true ruler of our kingdom since each city is nothing but a manifestation of their power. ”

”Now you ’ve lost me. ” Phloria was on the verge of starting to chop hands and heads if someone tried to grope or caress her again, but she could only grin and bear it. She could recognize the look in the plant folks ’ eyes.

It was the same look that her suitors who were too desperate or drunk had while revealing things they shouldn ’t talk about just to try and impress her. The fight seemed to have sent them into a mating frenzy.

Making them snap out of it would have probably meant that they would become hostile again.

”If these World Saplings are so powerful, why do you even have a ruler? Why don ’t they stop Erlik? ” She asked.

”You humans call the World Saplings ’plant Liches ’, but they are so much more. Such a powerful creature doesn ’t reason like a mere mortal. They choose a place abundant in world energy as their home and then they focus entirely on the search for knowledge.

”Like Liches, they become so engrossed in their magical research and their attempts to reach the next step of evolution to forget about everything else, but unlike the undead, they are alive and benevolent.

”In exchange for knowledge and resources, they grant us their protection and bestow the elected ruler of each state-city a fraction of their power. ”

”In exchange for knowledge? ” Lith echoed.

”Yes. We share with the World Sapling all our spells, magical research, literature, arts, everything. It ’s a small price to pay for a peaceful life. ”