Only after nearly an entire day could Zion and Uriel relax as the distorted space slowly disappeared from their vision.

"Let's hope that doesn't happen again anytime soon," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

[Host should rest now,] Uriel immediately said, its tone warm. [There aren't that many hours remaining until we arrive at the planet.]

Zion nodded slowly as the exhaustion from staying awake for more than a day finally caught up to him. He dropped back into his chair without hesitation.

As it reclined, he let out a long yawn and stretched his arms.

"Wake me up once we are close," Zion said, closing his eyes.

[Affirmative.]

Time flew by rapidly, hours passing while Zion rested.

Finally, a soft chime echoed through the control room.

[Host,] Uriel's voice came through quietly. [The planet is within eyesight now.]

Zion stirred awake, his brows furrowing for a moment before he rubbed his eyes.

"Already?" he mumbled, stumbling upright.

[Yes. We are approaching the planet's gravitational field now,] Uriel replied calmly. [We'll land in approximately one hour.]

'How long did I sleep for?' he thought, letting out another yawn. 'Not enough hours at least.'

He massaged his temples as he walked toward the front window, coming to a halt once the full planet entered his view.

"Wow," he said, staring at the mostly green planet ahead of him. "An entire planet covered in trees?"

[It appears to be the case,] Uriel said, a hint of cheerfulness in its voice. [It's highly likely the planet is rich in herbs in that scenario.]

"Now that's what I like to wake up to," he said, instantly feeling his exhaustion wash away.

Zion zoomed in on the planet as much as he could, already scouting for as much information as possible.

'It seems to be a large forest of some kind,' he thought, concentrating on the hologram. 'But it's difficult to see underneath the countless leaves.'

Suddenly, the ship shook lightly underneath him.

[We've entered the planet's gravitational field, Host,] Uriel's voice came through. [We'll be landing in twenty minutes.]

"Good," Zion nodded. "Can you also perform some basic scans using the ship now?"

[Affirmative.]

As they descended, Uriel's scanners swept over the planet's surface, displaying all kinds of data in front of Zion.

[Atmosphere is breathable,] it reported. [Oxygen levels are slightly above standard. Gravity is within acceptable range.]

"Oho, the air is breathable," Zion said with a broad smile. "That makes this all a lot easier."

He stared at the planet for a moment, but Uriel didn't continue speaking.

"Is something wrong?"

[Yes. The biosignatures are unusually dense on this planet,] Uriel said, its voice hesitant. [Which is strange for a planet with seemingly no oceans or large bodies of water.]

Hearing that, Zion frowned slightly, his eyes studying the green canopy below.

Only now did he notice that there indeed didn't seem to be a hint of blue anywhere, which was strange, as most trees needed water to grow.

But the real problem lay in what Uriel had said first. Many biosignatures meant many lifeforms, which could pose a problem if their ranks were too high.

Zion's gaze hardened slightly as he continued watching the planet below.

'Though it's a little dangerous, I'm sure this planet will be a treasure trove.'

He stood up and changed into sturdier gear which Calder had given him. Next, he gathered a bag with simple research devices, food, and water.

"How long?" Zion asked, standing up straight again.

[Three minutes until landing.]

The ship slowly descended as the forest below finally became visible to the naked eye, showing countless branches as thick as buildings.

"This place is massive," he mumbled, leaning against the front window. "There are even some mountains here."

As he stared at the beautiful green landscape in silence, Uriel's voice suddenly came through.

[Deferring from landing zone,] it said, its voice mechanical. [Vast water bodies detected underneath the trees.]

The ship instantly slowed its descent and changed its trajectory to fly over the planet.

'There's water under these trees?' Zion thought, frowning. 'How tall are these trees, then?'

[Detected new landing zone,] Uriel's voice came through once again. [Low amount of biosignatures compared to surrounding terrain.]

As the ship slowly descended through the trees, loud cracks from breaking branches echoed through the air, a combination of moisture and debris blurring the windows completely.

Zion's heart pounded for a moment as visibility dropped to almost zero.

Finally, they broke through.

Bright, colorful light flooded the control room as the ship emerged beneath the trees, revealing a world completely hidden from above.

Towering trees surrounded them like colossal pillars, their trunks wider than buildings and covered in moss, vines, and glowing flowers.

Zion stared at the environment in stunned shock.

'In all my years with the Sovereignty… I've never seen anything like this.'

The place teemed with life, countless small creatures darting around the massive plants, vanishing instantly as the ship flew over them.

As he squinted his eyes, he noticed many larger creatures weaving through the trees as they fled in fear.

"This place…" Zion murmured. "It's like a sealed world."

[Correct,] Uriel replied quietly. [The upper forest functions as a natural barrier. External threats, weather patterns, and radiation rarely reach this layer.]

Zion slowly exhaled.

An ecosystem that had grown undisturbed by such interferences for countless years. One could only imagine what kind of treasures such a place held.

'How rare is a planet like this?' he wondered.

[One in a thousand life-bearing planets have undisturbed ecosystems,] Uriel responded, a hint of excitement in its voice. [Though even those are almost never forest planets like this, but fully aquatic ones.]

A broad smile appeared on Zion's face as he felt the landing gear beneath the ship lowering slowly.

"I can't wait to explore this," he said, tightening his gear.

His expression shifted as awe faded and focus took over.

'Whatever lives here had the chance to evolve without many threats and with countless resources available,' he thought, heading toward the hatch. 'Which means I'll have to be careful.'

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