Outside Doma City, a throng of Forest People gathered under the towering giant trees.

They wore vine wood armor and held emerald crystal spears, standing majestically upon the mountain-like winding roots.

All young and robust warriors from the forest tribes were gathered here, the most valiant hunters and warriors in the entire forest.

Looking out—

The throng was at least twenty thousand, if not thirty thousand!

Since the first Judgment Day, it's the first time such a grand army has been organized on this land.

In the tribal era when writing was yet to be invented, such a large number was even more unimaginable.

Looking at the seemingly endless military force, Tunnan felt his heart surge with emotions.

Spurred by the rising emotions, he stood on high ground and raised his strong voice, rallying the tiger-wolf division that was like a sea of forest.

"People of the Forest—!"

"The Sinners have not only burned our Sacred Tree, stolen the Sacred Land given to us by the Tree of Yenshof, but also brazenly stole the treasure from the sky, robbing the sacred object belonging to the Ancestors!"

"To save the forest from disaster, to prevent the arrival of the third Judgment Day, we must seize back the sacred object in their hands! Reclaim our Sacred Land! Solve the root of this disaster once and for all for our descendants!"

"It's time to resolve the grudges since the beginning of the Awakening Era!"

The thunderous roar shocked the entire forest and resonated in the hearts of all the Forest People present.

It was also the ability given to him by the Tree of Yenshof—

The ability to inspire people!

Pairs of eyes watching him burn with boiling battle intent, issuing clear shouts as a response to their common leader.

"Oh oh oh!!!"

Seeing the roar like a mountain and tsunami, the chieftains among the crowd sensed something was amiss, yet kept their faces stern, neither voicing objections nor saying anything else.

Tunnan was right.

They had tolerated the Sinners again and again, and the result was the latter pushing their luck, time after time.

If so, it'd be better to settle both old and new scores together, completely resolving all troubles.

As for whether Tunnan had other schemes...

In the face of the threat of the third Judgment Day, such concerns can be temporarily set aside.

At least for now, they needed a leader who could lead them to victory!

Confronting the surging crowd, Saquai, a member of the priests, stood behind Tunnan.

For some reason, he suddenly regretted welcoming the Ancestors into their tribe.

The disaster might not have stemmed from some sacred object falling from the sky, but rather, the Ancestors who came to the ground to search for the sacred object and attempt to help the people evade the calamity.

But now it's too late to say anything.

Saquai sighed inwardly, observing those young ones howling like beasts.

The blessings given by the Tree of Yenshof might not have been entirely benevolent.

For instance, right now, someone had used the bridge linking them together to turn everyone into beasts...

...

Outside Doma City, the wind and clouds surged, and within the city surrounded by giant trees, there was also an atmosphere of bleakness and killing.

For Doma people still in the tribal period, war and hunting had no essential difference; it merely involved different targets.

Men were responsible for fighting, while women, kids, and elders handled logistics.

Under the guidance of priests and maidens, the tribe's people in the city tied sharp crystals onto wooden sticks of various lengths.

The Sinners in the valley were adept at using Bow and Arrow and swords, and even employed savage means to tame ferocious, low-intelligence Wild Lizards, where javelins and lances were most effective against them.

In addition, several priests awakened to "Spiritual Energy" were standing in the "Orchard" praying.

That was a branch of the Sacred Tree's roots, both a place where the Sacred Tree stored nourishment and incubated seeds, and Doma City's granary.

Through prayer, they quickly ripened the fruit congealed on the roots and, with the help of the children, picked them into baskets, mixed some other plant roots and stems into powder, and dried them into nutrition-rich military rations.

These rations were for the army.

Under the leader's will, the entire Doma Tribe had nearly overnight transformed from economic crop production to war preparation without causing any disturbance.

And this was one of the societal characteristics bestowed upon the forest tribes by "Spiritual Energy."

The societal power was almost monopolized by the Awakeners of Spiritual Energy, while the Awakeners shared a mental connection among themselves.

In a sense, the Alliance also exhibited similar characteristics, only expressed differently and the "Residents of Shelter No. 404" did not monopolize the entire Alliance's power and resources.

Yet these profound sociological insights were still premature for Doma City.

Recently driven down from the tree by the Neutron Yu stream, they had just descended, arguably simple-minded, or less cleverly, could only serve as samples for research.

However, being not very clever also had its advantages.

Though Tunnan hesitated to leverage the Ancestors to command the tribes, he hadn't yet realized that the "Tree of Yenshof" could indeed be used to consolidate power.

Moreover, not only the venerable Tree of Yenshof, his respect for the Ancestors was engraved in his bones.

Even if those Ancestors had lost their value alive, he only considered imprisoning them instead of audaciously killing them.

In other words, he was a man with principles, and once principles were set, he was destined not to become Zayed.

Tunnan wasn't alone in this.

Among his tribe, besides the fanatical believers, there were still those who simply believed in the Ancestors.

These people were willing to sacrifice their lives for what they believed in, rather than inherently disbelieving the scriptures they recited.

Thus, even when the fanatical flames were about to spread across the forest, their internal error-correcting mechanism was still functioning.

And it was functioning positively.

At the root of the Sacred Tree, the entrance to the Temple.

Watching the maid ascend the steps, the guards standing on either side tightened their grips on their spears.

One guard captain, bare-chested, stepped forward and inquired in a muffled voice.

"Has the Ancestor awakened?"

The inquiry wasn't in forest language, but a higher language bestowed by the Tree of Yenshof.

To outsiders, it sounded like a series of bird calls, short or long.

However, every Spiritual Energy Awakeners with the same cultural background could understand what those calls meant.

Dora responded softly.

"Already awakened."

The guard captain continued to ask.

"Did he issue any commands?"

Dora responded gently.

"He doesn't like the tribal food and wants to eat southern wild fruits, and it must be picked by me personally."

The south was far away from the Forbidden Forest Valley.

Although dangerous beasts lurked there, typically, they wouldn't harm Temple Maidens capable of communicating with the Tree of Yenshof.

Communication built upon spirit couldn't lie, so the guards didn't inquire further, merely nodded respectfully before moving aside.

The leader had instructed.

As long as the Ancestor didn't leave the temple, any request made must be met as much as possible.

As long as it was within their capability.

And without threatening the safety of the whole temple...

Dora nodded slightly in acknowledgment, passed through the group of guards, and headed straight toward the tribe's southern gate.

Her words were entirely truthful.

Just not complete.

...

As Dora left the temple, Night Ten sat inside, holding his breath as he stared intently at the temple entrance, carefully listening to the footsteps echoing through the dark corridor.

Luckily, the footsteps, gradually fading, didn't return but vanished at the temple entrance.

Night Ten breathed a sigh of relief, finally relaxing and laying on the woven vine bed.

"It's all up to her performance now."

He had given Dora many tasks.

Besides heading south to pick berries, she was also tasked with finding a silver-gray research ship.

Actually, he wasn't sure how to describe his ride since, whether in appearance or coordinates and longitude, there was no corresponding object or "reference" to aid understanding in the culture of the Doma Tribe.

Fortunately, at this time, Dora's special ability of "mental induction" came into play, establishing a spiritual connection with him as he gestured randomly with his fingers, allowing them to see the research ship through the mist of the consciousness ocean.

It just so happened to be a place she had visited!

Night Ten didn't know exactly how she "saw," but as long as she could understand his meaning, that was good.

As long as they went near that research ship, they could contact Jiang Xuezhou, letting him understand the situation and hopefully help brainstorm some ideas.

Whether choosing a new divine representative to end this war or facilitating negotiations between the Spears and the Forest People in the name of the Ancestors, there was considerable room for action.

If it really couldn't work out, finding a way to rescue themselves first was also viable.

Unveiling Tunnan's conspiracy by his own hands seemed to be a good plan as well.

In any case, Night Ten believed Jiang Xuezhou would make the right choice.

In the hyperspace passage where they couldn't observe each other, they had coordinated seamlessly like this before.

"But speaking of which… why does it feel like once again, I'm not really involved in anything here?"

Lying flat on the bed, Night Ten stared at the fireflies flying overhead, thinking about the series of events that might unfold later. Suddenly, he realized he seemed to be in the awkward position of being "banned" again, couldn't help but make a remark.

Previously, in the hyperspace passage, he had managed to shine for a while, but this time it seemed like he couldn't do anything.

He had an illusion in his mind, that at this moment, he was in a position similar to Luo Yi.

Although everything started because of him, this problem was destined to be resolved by those who came later.

The temple maiden named Dora was the one he chose.

Intuition told Night Ten that similar entities might exist in places he couldn't see— a group of protagonists perhaps chosen by fate or swept into the story.

This would be a holy war initiated in the name of the "Ancestors" and the "Tree of Yenshof".

No one knew how people thousands of years later would describe this epic tale.

Just as Night Ten was thinking about this, a soft creaking sound came from overhead.

The sound was like the leather soles of boots walking on a wooden floor, but to him, it sounded like a jarring laughter.

Of course, maybe that's just his presumption.

The being that made the laughter might not have intended to be sarcastic, even showing some appreciation in its words.

"...You little guys are really interesting, never making me feel bored."

Night Ten's face showed an expression as if he had seen a ghost, bouncing electrically from the bed, looking around suspiciously.

"Who?"

The sound disappeared instantly, as if it had never been there.

Just when Night Ten began to doubt his own judgment, suspecting auditory hallucinations, the complexly sounded creaking once again entered his ears.

Or rather, directly flew into his mind.

"Oh? You can hear my voice?"

The voice seemed to carry a hint of surprise.

Night Ten was about to retort when he suddenly felt a movement under his seat.

The bed board made of woven vines seemed to come to life, twisting the vines began to grow upwards, wrapping his ankles and legs.

Night Ten was suddenly alarmed, about to release an electric current.

The leisurely voice, as if predicting his reaction, once again drifted into his mind.

"Don't panic, I won't harm you... I'm just curious, let me take a good look."

The vines continued to grow upwards, climbing all over his body in just a few breaths.

Surprisingly, although the vine had a rough bark, it didn't hurt him.

"There's a familiar scent on you... a bit like my children, but seems somewhat different... Hmm..."

The slow voice seemed to fall into contemplation, only continuing after a long time.

"I see, I roughly understand... You guys eventually accepted them."

"Nice, nice, you eventually became a bit enlightened... though the process might differ."

It talked to itself, as if seeing things from a long, long time ago.

But for some reason, it hadn't seen through everything, still having parts it couldn't see.

Listening to the murmured soliloquy, Night Ten felt a chill, hands and feet ice-cold.

It woke up!

And noticed him!

That was Night Ten's greatest fear, even more concerning than the bloody conflict between the two tribes!

Since truly, on the whole planet, the only real threat to them seemed to be this unspeakable existence.

Night Ten thought he had been quite careful, yet unexpectedly had exposed his position ultimately.

But when did it all start?

From its words, it seems to have been observing all this for a long time...

To understand the situation at the moment, he swallowed his spit bravely, trying hard to remain calm as he spoke.

"Are you Gaia? Or... the Tree of Yenshof?"

"Are you referring to me?"

The dry voice chuckled softly, continuing slowly.

"Your titles for me always change, but I am who I am... Hmm, how should I explain to you guys."

The ambiguous answer left Night Ten bewildered.

Even confused.

He originally thought Gaia would loathe him, yet unexpectedly it showed no such intention at all.

It seemed not to care at all about what had happened.

Even though the war three years ago nearly led this planet to complete death...

"Actually, Gaia or the Tree of Yenshof... they are me, yet not me. However, for me to specifically explain it to you, this difficulty is no less than your 'attempt to make a girl named Dora understand what a research ship is'."

"I'm not looking down on you, your understanding of 'spiritual energy' is even less than the kids living in this forest, though seemingly your 'smart people' have begun utilizing this ability, systemically and on a large scale... Heh."

The tone carried a faint mockery.

This was probably the first time he genuinely heard the implication of "mockery" from its tone, as if they had done something more boring than self-destruction.

Indeed.

In its view, their self-destruction was way more interesting.

It gradually lost interest, lazily saying.

"I won't do something thankless and meaningless, if curious just seek for yourself the answers that mean nothing to you guys... You're not without success anyway."

"Good luck, foolish materialists."

The vines wrapped around him gradually receded, transforming back into a flat bed.

It was as if nothing had happened.

As if the bed coming to life was just his illusion, just like everything he saw in the hyperspace passage.

Yet, even so, the feeling of being bound remained distinctly lingering on his skin and hair.

Night Eleven said nothing, promptly jumping off the bed, vigilantly looking around.

Finally, he found the source of the sound!

It was never actually a "sound", there was no existence of even a single note.

It was purely a consciousness entity from the start, and the source was the "painting" on the walls surrounding the temple!

The moment he tried to comprehend those symbols, he realized its existence and established a connection with it—

That was the ability granted by Perception Attributes!

He perceived its existence!

The thoughts in his mind gradually became clear, suddenly a realization surged up in Night Ten's heart, as he looked towards a direction of the temple—the spot on the painting.

That was an intuitive sense without reason, he felt someone was looking at him, whispering behind his back, saying things dismissively from a standing position.

No, perhaps it wasn't a person—

But a group!

Almost instinctively, he muttered a line.

"...I see you."

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