With the crystal situation taken care of, Rud found himself temporarily aimless. This led to some lovely tea, which he had with Elm in the longhouse. Instead of picking a single blend and drinking it, they created a selection of each one he had blended himself. They sampled them while snacking on trail mix and talking about the applications of the underground city. There was still much studying to do, but for now, the druid could finally close the book on the entire problem.

It was a fact he expressed. A fact that Elm was quick to shoot down.

"We cracked the shell on the problem, sure, but there's still too much we don't know. For starters, where did that place come from, and why is it here? Does it really have anything to do with the destruction of the moons? Is Jasper correct in thinking that it was some old floating academy? I've got too many questions to give up now, Rud."

"Yes, but you're missing the most important part of that statement," Rud said. "Am I involved at all? I don't really think you guys need my help down there. I'm useless with arcane magic."

"Sure, you're absolutely useless when it comes to even feeling the smallest whiff of arcane magic, but that doesn't mean druidic magic is as useless."

"I don't know if you meant for that to be a compliment…" Rud trailed off, and Elm laughed.

"You know what I mean," Elm said, shoving Rud playfully. "The power of the Sacred Tree to absorb random energy is extremely useful, and we should take advantage of that. That's the only reason the city is stable. I have no idea how long it could have gone unattended, but the consequences would have been dire."

"Wait, are you saying it would've exploded?"

"Something like that," Elm said. "Hard to tell with old artifacts like we found in the city. Anything is possible."

That put a particularly grim feather in the cap of the underground city problem. Rud had no plans to do anything further with it, but he understood how much Elm wanted it to happen right now. His concerns were about making contact with River's Grove and then applying upgrades to the wizard's new tower. Perhaps this was just a ploy to keep her within the Grove longer, but he knew she would appreciate having a place where she could conduct her research. The tree houses he created were nice and dull, but something that felt more like home would be appropriate. There were also amenities he had to add for her deer horse companion.

It was his tower. It was fine and all, but it needed an extensive paddock to keep Daffodil safe while she grazed. Having a small barn for her to sleep in at night wouldn't be bad either. These were things Rud could make out of trees; they didn't have to be incorporated with the Sacred Tree's power. Once he was done sampling tea with Elm, he decided that was the thing he would work on today and made his way to the site they had selected for Elm's new tower. After bidding farewell to the wizard, he passed through a bush, stepping foot near the rocky shores of the lake and taking a deep breath of the fresh air.

All the air within the grove was clean, but in this section, it had the crisp sense of fresh mountain air that got Rud all excited for all things forestry. He took in the scene for quite some time before finally sending his mind to attend to the tower. It had risen to the north of the lake, far higher than he had expected it to be. When a smile spread across his face, he felt the familiar brush of the sacred tree's senses washing over him. She was watching.

"What do you think?" Ban asked.

"Are you kidding?" Rud asked. He felt himself growing dizzy as he looked higher. When his gaze finally locked onto the top of the tower, he thought he might fall over.

Of course, the tower was made from wood, but the building Ban had created matched some aspects of Elm's tower back in town. It was wide at the base with powerful walls that supported its enormity. It stretched far into the sky, and the top held a sloped roof with painted blue shingles. The druid wasn't certain how she could emulate such a thing, but he wouldn't question it. She was a magical tree, after all.

"You've really outdone yourself with this one, Ban. I'm not sure how Elm is going to respond, but I'm excited," Rud said. "Do you know if we'll get some good upgrades?"

"Oh, yes. Two upgrades are going to be very helpful for us," Ban said. "Hopefully I'm right about her tower in Barlgore."

Rud wouldn't question the Sacred Tree's wisdom. She knew what she was doing most of the time. He often found himself just selecting the upgrades she told him to choose. That was because she always knew what the best synergies were. Still, he found himself wondering what secret Elm could have possibly been hiding back in the town. For now, he approached the tower, finding himself getting dizzy the closer he got to it. There was a pleasant staircase leading to the large front door. Planters filled with flowering plants rested alongside the banister, and a small garden, which had attracted a small group of bees, created a ring around the foundation.

Although it was made of wood, the druid couldn't deny the stone-like quality Ban had managed to create. He pressed his hand against the side of the tower and felt the familiar twinge in his mind brought by the system. The Sacred Tree had incorporated the structure within her domain in record time, and he couldn't deny how impressed he was. With a low whistle, he inspected the building.

[Grove Wizard's Tower]

Rank 0 Level 1 Sacred Tree building

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Upgrade Progress: 0%

Description:

A wizard's tower, incorporated into a Sacred Grove. One might not think that a Grove is a good place for a wizard to call home. But the magical energies within are worth studying.

Upgrades:

NONE

Although the description didn't provide any useful information, Rud felt good that he was able to confirm how it was now part of the Grove. It was something he never expected. To invite Elm to stay was one thing, but to give her the means to be here permanently was something else entirely. Viewing the building at rank zero brought some perspective. Since the Sacred Tree planned to jump a few ranks, he had a lot of buildings to maintain. While his stock of fragments and crystals was extensive right now, it would deplete quickly.

The druid removed some fragments from his bag and considered the building. "Are we ready to get started?" he asked.

"Ready," Ban said.wh

Rud inserted enough of the fragments until the first upgrade prompt came. It was a process he was so familiar with that he didn't even have to pay attention to know how many to put inside. When the upgrade options flooded his vision, Ban guided him to the correct one, but of course, he inspected it before selecting it. It wasn't as though he didn't trust the tree's judgment. He just wanted a sneak peek.

[Unbound Energy]

Grove Wizard's Tower Upgrade

Synergize Upgrade:

[Linked Condenser]

Description:

Take advantage of the magical energies with the Sacred Grove. This tower can now draw power from the Grove's root system, allowing the wizard to conduct much more powerful experiments.

"Elm is going to flip out when she sees that one," Rud said, trying and failing not to laugh. He knew how crazy she would go upon seeing this and couldn't stop grinning like an idiot. Of course, he didn't know exactly how much energy she used during her experimentation back in town, but the way she talked about the latent energy and the groves revealed how much she envied it.

"And that's the less impressive upgrade," Ban said. "Go on. View the Rank 1 upgrade."

"Well, I gotta cram some more stuff in here," Rud said, selecting that upgrade and moving on. "Here we go…"

Repeating the process, Rud brought the Wizard's Tower to Rank 1. As always crossing the threshold caused a shimmer of power to radiate across the surface of the building before shooting out. A small shockwave of force rattled the nearby forest and put an even bigger smile on the druid's face. The flood of potential upgrades entered his vision, and he thumbed through them just before Ban told him the right one to pick. He cocked his head to the side.

"Really?" Rud asked. "Does that do what I think it does?"

"Yup!" Ban said, giggling into his mind.

Rud raced through the list, looking for the upgrade with a matching name. He found it soon enough and inspected it. "Well, I'll be…"

[Linked Towers]

Grove Wizard's Tower Upgrade

Synergize Upgrade:

[Any Remote Wizard's Tower (powered, any source)], [Wild Way]

Description:

What good is one tower? Any wizard worth their weight in fragments and shards has at least two towers. And how do you think they get between them? This is how.

Effect:

Creates a portal traversable only by the owning wizard. This portal is linked between the wizard's towers, and may be traversed through the expenditure of mana and locally stored energy.

There was a lot to take in just from the description of this upgrade. First was the Synergize upgrade, which worked with Elm's other tower and meant that it was in some way a system-recognized structure. Then came the reference to the Wild Way, meaning that Gladesbale Grove had somehow tapped into that unknowable dimension he still didn't even remotely understand.

The description itself is easy enough to understand. Elm could now spend mana and local energy to travel from this tower to her tower back in town. That would cut the time it took her to move between the two by an unbelievable factor. Rud got the sense that Ban had done this to ease the wizard's transition into life within the grove, and he couldn't thank her enough. Losing the sorcerer now would be a blow they couldn't endure.

Before introducing Elm to what would no doubt become her permanent home, Rud got to work on the paddock and barn for Daffodil. He ensured the area was massive, clearing away trees and creating fences so she had enough space to run unattended for as long as needed. Within the barn, he created troughs for both food and water, ensuring they were made from the best wood and lacquered with his powerful magic. Then he took a tour of the tower itself, making sure the interior met her standards. He would need to move in a wood-burning stove and create running water, but that could wait for later. His excitement to show her was overwhelming and he could wait no longer.

Before leaving the tower, Rud stood on the top floor. There was an open-topped balcony where a very familiar-looking gate rested, ready to use. There was no doubt that a twin had been placed in Elm's other tower, waiting for activation. But Rud dragged himself away from the site. Shifting into his raven form, he jumped from the top of the tower and found the nearest cluster of leaves in the canopy. He crossed through Thicket Travel and appeared before her in the underground city.

Elm yelped in surprise.

"I've got something exciting to show you," Rud said. "But you gotta promise not to freak out."

"Well, I'm going to freak out. You can't predict how I'll react," Elm said, casting a suspicious gaze onto the druid. "What happened? Are the pieces of the moon falling? Do we need to create a tree as large as the world to shield it from those fragments? Did Major get his head stuck in a honey jar?"

"Although Major might've gotten his head stuck, that's not what I'm talking about," Rud said. The druid grabbed her by the hand and led her to the bush. They passed through Thicket Travel, arriving on the bank of the lake.

Elm's eyes went wide as she looked at the tower. Rud didn't miss the tears forming in the corners of her eyes, and pretended to get extremely interested in a fish swimming near the shore.

"Give me the tour," she said, her tone steady.

All that time practicing discipline as a mage really paid off. He could hardly sense the warble in her voice.

"Let's go," Rud said. "You're gonna flip."

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