Chapter 396 - 208: The Golden Oak Tree’s Request, The Four-Race Discussion (2)

Chapter 396: Chapter 208: The Golden Oak Tree’s Request, The Four-Race Discussion (2)

Pei Ze now understood why there was a rare Spirit Realm here.

’So a Golden Oak Tree is backing it!’

"Welcome, esteemed guest."

The Golden Oak Tree’s canopy trembled slightly, and a deep, hoarse voice echoed from the void.

"Ever since the insectoid invasion, it has been a long time since an Elemental Mage has come here."

Pei Ze placed a hand on his chest and gave a slight bow.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Elder Leiot."

Pei Ze could sense that the Golden Oak Tree before him was far stronger than he was. It was quite possibly a fifth-level plant life form.

’I must show the necessary respect to one so powerful.’

"Wizard, I heard from the little ones that you are searching for the whereabouts of the Ancient Tree Deer Spirit Race, intending to take them away from this plane," Leiot said.

Pei Ze gave a slight nod. "Yes."

Leiot fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly. "Wizard, I know this is presumptuous, but I would like to ask a favor of you."

"Please, Elder, go on." Pei Ze had an inkling of what was coming.

Just as he expected, Leiot continued in a low tone, "More than half of the Magical Creature populations on this plane have been exterminated. It’s only a matter of time before the entire plane is overrun by the insectoids. I don’t want the little ones in the forest to die at their hands, so I implore you... can you take them with you when you leave?"

At these words, Pei Ze fell silent.

Pasha and Cameron, however, were stunned. They wanted to say something, but the words caught in their throats.

Just as Elder Leiot had said, the Ancient Forest Plane had reached a point of no return. It was only a matter of time before it fell into the hands of the insectoids.

They might be holding on for now, but once the main insectoid army arrived, their destruction would be instantaneous.

Not even someone as powerful as Elder Leiot could stand against an endless, overwhelming tide of insectoids.

Faced with this situation, their only choices were to perish along with the Ancient Forest Plane or find a way to escape it.

Previously, they had no other choice. Elder Leiot, though powerful, had no way of leading them off the plane.

Setting aside their lack of suitable planar coordinates, even if they were lucky enough to reach another plane, the problem of how such a large group could survive would still remain.

But now, an opportunity had presented itself.

An Elemental Mage from the Star Realm Alliance... A being of his caliber definitely had the ability to help them migrate and leave the plane.

At this thought, Pasha and Cameron instinctively looked toward Pei Ze, a glimmer of expectation in their eyes.

After a long silence, Pei Ze finally spoke. "Elder Leiot, you must know what an enormous expenditure it is to teleport so many living beings between planes. Furthermore, arranging for them afterward is also a major problem."

"Of course, Wizard. I know it is difficult, which is precisely why I must ask for your help."

"I know that Wizards such as yourself have always abided by the principle of equivalent exchange. If I can offer a payment that you find satisfactory, I wonder, would you agree to my request?"

Pei Ze’s interest was immediately piqued. A Golden Oak Tree that had survived for at least ten thousand years was bound to have some treasures. He was quite curious what Leiot could produce to persuade him.

RUSTLE. A long branch emerged from Leiot’s dense canopy and slowly extended toward Pei Ze.

Coiled around the tip of the branch was a palm-sized piece of charred wood. Its surface was covered with a chaotic jumble of grayish-white lines that somehow hinted at something profound.

"I can sense the dense Thunder Elemental Energy gathered around you. Wizard, you must have ignited a Thunder Elemental Fire. This, then, should be of great use to you," Leiot said.

Pei Ze’s curiosity grew, and he reached out to accept the charred wood.

The moment it touched his hand, he immediately sensed the incredibly dense Thunder Elemental Energy contained within the wood.

And unlike ordinary Thunder Elemental Energy, this energy faintly held an extremely faint trace of the Power of Rules. It was somewhat similar to the Stone Monument Fragment, though significantly weaker.

"This is..."

Surprise flashed in Pei Ze’s eyes.

"It is something I came across by chance long ago. It seems to have been bathed in a powerful lightning strike that contained the Power of Rules, and thus absorbed an immense amount of lightning energy," Leiot explained.

Understanding dawned on Pei Ze.

’This must be something similar to Thunderstruck Wood.’

’But the lightning this wood endured was no ordinary strike, like the ones in Thunderfall Valley. It was most likely a terrifying bolt imbued with the Power of Rules, the kind found in the core of a Thunder Elemental Half-Plane.’

’Moreover, the original tree this wood came from was definitely no ordinary being.’

’Even now, Pei Ze wouldn’t dare claim he could block a strike of that magnitude unscathed. Yet this piece of wood still retained a trace of life, a testament to how tenacious its original body must have been.’

’Perhaps it was precisely because of this vigorous life force that the lightning energy inside had been neutralized and become much more docile. Unlike typical, volatile free-roaming Thunder Elemental Energy, this could be absorbed with ease.’

Pei Ze estimated that if he could absorb the lightning energy in this piece of wood, his elementalization progress would increase by at least four or five percent.

That would save him at least a year or two of training.

Suppressing his inner joy, Pei Ze considered for a moment before looking up at Leiot and saying coolly, "This thing is indeed quite useful to me. But it isn’t enough."

’There are tens of thousands of Spirit Creatures in this forest. To teleport so many of them between planes would cost no less than ten million Magic Stone Coins, to say nothing of the arrangements required afterward.’