[Tree] Chapter 645: Slithering Offspring (Patreon)

"Is this what it feels like for a father to watch their child's first steps?" Ashlock said, faking a sniffle. "Or should I say this is one small step for a tree, but one giant leap for treekind?"

"Master, your child is slithering forward, not stepping or leaping. So wouldn't it be one small slither for treekind?" Thanatos said, following the offspring through the desolation rift like a shepherd.

"That's not the point..."

"Isn't Stella your daughter?" Diana pointed out as she directed the slithering offspring to a suitable empty spot in the grove. "She's been walking for over two decades now."

Ashlock sighed. "I was just having a moment. You guys are no fun."

"I assure you I have lots of fun, Ashlock," Diana said, smirking. "Just in ways you wouldn't understand."

Ashlock looked at Diana weirdly. She was right—he had no idea what she meant. Didn't she mostly do paperwork all day and help him with the Empire? What would someone like that do for fun? His idea of fun was...

Wait, what was his idea of fun? Gacha rolls from the system? That was the first thing that came to mind. The other was sleeping. He loved a good, uninterrupted slumber under the nine moons.

"Gacha rolls and sleeping... why does that make me sound like some kind of degenerate, unemployed gambler? I'm the ruler of an empire, not a loser." Ashlock paused. This random thought was more horrifying the more he mulled it over.

Was it a bad thing that he found joy in the simpler things, like sleeping and seeing others happy, rather than living a life chasing dopamine highs like in his last life?

Or did he think that because he had truly lost his humanity and become far too tree-ified?

"Are you saying I don't understand fun?" Ashlock asked, causing Diana to falter.

"N-No," Diana chuckled nervously. "I just enjoy types of fun that are different from a tree."

"Such as?"

"Urm," Diana's eyes darted. "Nothing really, just silly stuff a tree wouldn't understand—"

"Because?"

"Because... you're more of a big-picture guy. The silly stuff humans enjoy typically goes beneath your notice, which is understandable, as you're a realm-spanning tree overseeing an empire of billions and now invading the next layer."

"Silly stuff?" Ashlock murmured, imagining Diana knitting or painting. The idea of an Archdemon enjoying such hobbies made him chuckle. "I understand what you mean now."

"You do?" Diana looked understandably embarrassed. "Have you seen me doing it? I... I just do it for stress relief, you know?"

"Diana, I told you I understand," Ashlock reassured her. "There's no need to explain your silly hobbies to me, and I'll keep it to myself."

"Thank you," Diana said with relief and glanced at Thanatos. "Not a word out of you either."

"I have no idea what either of you are discussing—"

"Good," Diana said, changing the subject. "Ashlock, do you think this is a good spot for your offspring?"

Moros was currently lurking in the water beneath the island, close enough that he could push through the fog array with his Gaze of the Tree God skill, but his view was still limited. He couldn't even perceive the inside of the lighthouse, only its shadowy silhouette on the top of the island.

"I don't know, you can ask him," Ashlock replied.

"Ask him?" Diana tilted her head, but then seemed to realize. "Oh, you mean the tree." She crossed her arms and looked up at the fifteen-meter tree that loomed over the rest of the stunted mangrove trees with its lush maple leaves. Surprise crossed her face as she looked the tree up and down. "Wait, this offspring of yours is in the Nascent Soul Realm?"

The offspring answered by having the stone between them rupture, and a vaguely humanoid golem made from the island's basalt climbed out of the rubble. It had two hollow eyes and no mouth as it stared at Diana.

Diana stared back.

"Greetings, Grand Elder Diana," the golem bowed at the waist. "My name is Timmy."

Diana blinked. "What? You can speak?!"

"Of course. I inherited the language of the Eldertree from my father, which lets me understand and speak almost every language under the heavens, including the ancient runic language. Can I have a pair of glasses?"

Diana looked at the golem's extended hand with an odd expression.

"Glasses?"

"Yes, I can't see."

"And glasses would help you how?"

The golem simply stared at her with an outstretched hand.

Ashlock found the scene amusing, so he dropped a spatial ring from a portal, knowing Diana's were all empty.

Grumbling to herself, Diana put on the ring and pulled out a pair of round, metal-rimmed glasses and put them on the golem's face herself. It didn't have ears, but grooves on the side of its head held the glasses in place.

"There," Diana said, stepping back. "Happy now?"

An earthen light appeared in the hollows of Timmy's eyes, and he glanced around.

"Yes, this is perfect. Now I need a robe."

"What could you possibly need a robe for?"

"It's more diplomatic to speak while clothed—surely you would agree, as you too follow in this practice?"

Diana opened her mouth to retort, but seemed to give up. She pulled a white robe that looked fit for a Monarch's ball, likely looted from the Luminarch Conclave, and draped it over Timmy.

"I thought all of your offspring were in the Star Core Realm?" Diana muttered, stepping back once again to admire her handiwork.

"Most are," Ashlock confirmed. "But I assumed I'd need some more elite offspring in the future, so I selected a few that had chosen the more widely available Qi types, like Timmy here with earth Qi, and placed them in suitable environments. I then fully supported them and never drained their Qi. Timmy here reached the Nascent Soul Realm recently and seemed like the perfect offspring to take control of the island, as he has the earth affinity."

"Father is correct, and with this getup, I'm now ready to assist in this conquest," Timmy said, pushing the glasses up his face. "Father, how should I proceed?"

Ashlock was used to trees talking to him, but something about Timmy amused him. Perhaps it was his rather unique attitude that wasn't very tree-like at all.

"I want you to finish planting yourself in this alcove and then spread your roots throughout the island. From now on, Timmy, you are the protector of the Saltstone Sect and this island. Should the island sustain any damage in the coming days leading up to the Red Tide, your job is to repair it with the Qi I provide you," Ashlock explained. "Furthermore, by spreading your roots, I will also be able to see more of the island, so that is the top priority."

"Understood, Father," Timmy said, pushing up his glasses again. He was a strange kid, considering he could just fuse the glasses to his head. "What should I do if I encounter any natives of this island?"

"Don't harm them. The only person who knows about this grove should be a woman called Elder Maren," Diana explained. "She is on our side. The only other person you should be concerned with is Ferrin, the Patriarch of the Saltstone Sect. He is my chosen champion and is working to fulfill my plans."

"Using humans as your weapons, that is smart." Timmy nodded. "I shall learn from your ways."

Diana bit her lip. "Ashlock, are you sure about picking Timmy?"

Ashlock glanced between them. "I'm sure it will be fine—"

He suddenly detected a presence in the void through Erebus and swiveled his view to peer down into the ocean's depths. On the deck of Moros, he noticed that Khaos had returned.

"—Hold on, Khaos is back. I'll hear her report." He shifted his view to Erebus and addressed the headless void assassin. "Did you find Yun Zhilan?"

Khaos took a knee. "Yes, Master, she is present in the deepest level of the Ninth Wave Sect's palace. I confirmed she exists and is alive. She is also definitely in the Sovereign of Realities Realm."

"What about the rumored injuries?"

"There are no visible injuries to report. However, I found her in a room submerged in water and surrounded by a large formation powered by ten cultivators at a time who constantly rotated out. Its purpose wasn't clear, but I did read some of the runes near the surface, and they seemed to be for soul cleansing."

"Soul cleansing?" Ashlock muttered. "Interesting, and you couldn't get closer to her or read any more runes?"

"No. Entering the water would have risked my detection. I simply observed from the side."

"Good idea. We want to remain low-key for as long as we can. Though I find it interesting that she needs to cleanse her soul," Ashlock mused and fell into thought. Perhaps her injury was on the soul level rather than physical, which was a good thing, as he had many pills that could help someone with their soul that he could use to bargain with her.

"And the Great Trench?" Ashlock asked. "Were you able to take a look?"

"I passed over it on the way back, Master. It lies between the Drowned Bell Sect and the Ninth Wave Sect." Khaos paused. "But I could not see inside."

"Is it too deep?"

"No. A veil of darkness lies over the trench like a seal. My senses managed to peel through the darkness, but hit a solid wall of impassable water. Not even Void Step could pass through, as it's too thick, and I'd be crushed to death if I stepped out in the middle of it."

That gave Ashlock pause. Khaos could hide from even his spiritual senses, and void Qi tended to pass through anything.

"Did anything notice you?"

"I do not believe so. Nothing followed me." Khaos hesitated, which was unusual for her. "The heartbeat the islanders speak of comes from beneath the veil. But up close, Master, it does not feel like a heartbeat. It feels like something knocking."

Ashlock didn't like the sound of that.

"If hundreds of monsters pour out of the trench during the Red Tide, that veil must open at some point," he mused. "Until then, nobody tries to get past it. Not you, and not Morthex."

"Understood. I will stay away from the veil for now." Khaos said. "Master, do you have another mission for me?"

"Yes. As Diana suggested, I need you to return to the Ninth Wave Sect and investigate whether Yun Zhilan's plan is to weaken the other sects before the Red Tide or use them as sacrificial pawns to delve into the rift."

"As you command." Khaos vanished into the void without a sound.

Ashlock turned his attention to Morthex. "It's your turn to work too. Head out into the ocean around here, and begin killing monsters and turning them into Ents. If you see any groups heading toward the rift, avoid them."

Morthex let out a strange cry from its many heads and pushed against Moros's shields, which allowed the monster to pass and step out into the ocean. A cloud of death Qi instantly surrounded the beast as it dove down into the abyss.

"It will be important for Morthex to be lurking beneath the war that's about to happen between the Saltstone and Wavescale sects, considering its soul-trapping domain," Ashlock mused and returned to the alcove on the island.

Diana was gone, leaving only Timmy and Thanatos.

"Where did Diana go?"

"Grand Elder Diana returned to the lighthouse to check on the humans," Timmy helpfully replied. "Though before parting, she gave me some more information about the sect and the surrounding islands! Also, Father, I've already begun burrowing my roots deep into the island." He pushed up his glasses. "It will soon be under our control."

"Thank you." Ashlock could already feel his reach expanding due to Timmy's efforts, and was once again glad he had upgraded his Necroflora skill to Mythical grade. Without it, he would have had to plant a new offspring and supercharge its growth, and even then it wouldn't be as intelligent as Timmy.

"Thanatos, I don't have a job for you yet, so remain here and guard this alcove and Timmy from the shadows. Currently, this is the only permanent foothold I have in the 8th Layer, so protect it at all costs."

"Understood, my Lord." Thanatos spun his scythe and faded into the shadows of the trees. While not as invisible as Khaos, Thanatos would only be spotted if someone was specifically searching the shadows for him.

Ashlock let out a satisfied hum. Things were going well so far.

***

Elder Maren broke the silence between her and Ferrin.

"This is crazy," she whispered. Her hands hadn't stopped shaking as she carefully picked through the pile, worried about breaking something.

"No fucking shit," Ferrin muttered in response. "Each one of these darn artifacts or weapons would be a freaking sect heirloom, but she dumped them on the ground before us like utter trash and left them unattended."

"Yeah, though what I'm wondering is how she got so many. It's as if she wiped out an entire empire for this stuff," Elder Maren said, making Ferrin freeze.

"Heavens, darling, you're right. I didn't even consider how she got her clawed hands on all of this shiny stuff." He let out a sharp breath. "Just who did I make a deal with?"

"An Archdemon—that says it all," Elder Maren bit her lip. She wondered if all of this was her fault, but at the same time, Ferrin would be dead if not for the Archdemon's pills.

But that didn't mean she wanted to see the Isles she had called home for centuries descend into pain and suffering at the hands of a bored Archdemon just so Ferrin could live. A selfish part of her believed it was fair, given how she and her sect were treated. But what about Yun Zhilan? She was a good woman who almost died protecting the Isles.

"There's no going back now," Ferrin said bitterly after noticing her distant expression. "Personal convictions aside, I agreed to be her champion, and Diana put your soul up as collateral. I'd rather sink the Isles than see her eat you."

"She also claimed your soul, you know."

Ferrin snorted. "I was already a dead man walkin," he said, reaching into the pile and pulling free a ring artifact of unknown use. "So, as far as I'm concerned, the Archdemon simply gave me a chance to purge those bastards who have wronged me and this sect." He slowly turned to look at her, and she could taste the bloodlust in the air. "You know... I went to the Wavescale Sect as the proud Patriarch of the Saltstone Sect. Yet, I was forced to grovel at their feet, Maren. I begged and pleaded for them to save you and the others under my care. I drank poison for their entertainment and traded a humiliating death for the Saltstone Sect's continuation. I thought after centuries of working together, Torvun Wavescale would honor my dying wish and protect what I could no longer."

A terrible darkness crossed Ferrin's gaze.

"How foolish I was to believe the human heart was any different than a demon's."

Elder Maren glanced down with a heavy heart at the pile of riches that had likely been taken from fallen empires.

"I suppose you're right," she said, finally picking up items that had piqued her interest, including a pair of gauntlets. "We've been treated like the trash of the Isles for far too long to ignore this opportunity."

Ferrin chuckled. "I always knew you had the fire for revenge deep within you." He found a golden helmet and planted it on her head. "I'll make sure you stay safe, even if the Isles will burn for it."

"That's not quite as reassuring as you think it sounds," Elder Maren muttered and glanced up, only to freeze when she saw someone sitting on the windowsill through the helmet's slit.

Ferrin followed her gaze and tensed at the grinning Archdemon looking down at them with cold gray eyes.

"Done picking through my riches?" she asked with amusement. "If so, don't you think it's time you informed your Elders of the upcoming war, Ferrin?"

"Y-Yes, I will go and do that right away," Ferrin said, bowing.

"Hold on, don't go dressed in all that," the Archdemon said lazily. "I need you to seem weak."

"May I ask why?" Ferrin asked.

"Because this is the perfect opportunity to weed out those who wouldn't stay and fight to the death for the Saltstone Sect." Diana licked her lips. "Once this is all over, I want to inherit a sect of loyal warriors that will conquer the Isles for me, not weaklings that will turn tail and run at the first sign of resistance."

It almost sounds like she has future plans for the sect, not just us, Elder Maren thought.

"Understood." Ferrin deposited everything he had chosen into the spatial ring that the Archdemon had gifted him. "I will ensure to spell out our doom for my Elders and see who stays at my side."

"What will happen to those who choose to leave?" Elder Maren dared to ask.

Diana smiled as if she had been waiting for that question.

"Leave them to me."

[Author Note]

I'll be honest, I used Timmy as a tempoary name for the earth tree but it slowly grew on me as I wrote the chapter. If anyone has a better name, I'm willing to change it but Timmy kinda fits him, idk why.